Woman Killed by a Self-driving Uber

A Woman Was Killed by a Self-driving Uber Car in Arizona

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

TALIA AVAKIAN 

A woman in Tempe, Arizona, died after she was hit by a self-driving car operated by Uber on Sunday.

The woman, whose identify has not yet been released, was hit by one of the company’s autonomous cars and transported to a local hospital where she passed away due to her injuries, Tempe Police Department officials told CBS.


The car was in autonomous mode with a driver at its wheel when the car hit the pedestrian, who was crossing the road outside of the crosswalk, police officials said. No one besides the person in the driver's seat was in the vehicle during the time of the accident.

The incident could be the first known fatality from a self-driving car operating on public roads, according to The New York Times.

While the exact cause of the accident is still under investigation, Uber has paused its self-driving vehicle operations across Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Toronto, according to CBS.

The company also said in a statement on Twitter that they’re currently working with the Tempe Police Department and local authorities to investigate the incident.

Uber has previously shut down operations after crashes, including a 2017 Tempe crash, when a company vehicle in self-driving mode flipped on its side.