A female pedestrian has been struck and killed by a self-driving Uber vehicle in Arizona reveals ABC 15. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the company has immediately pulled all automated vehicles from public roads, including operations in San Francisco, Toronto and Pittsburgh.
Police confirm the crash commenced early Monday morning in Tempe, as the Uber vehicle was headed northbound when a woman walking outside of a crosswalk was hit. She was immediately taken to the hospital upon discovery, but eventually died from her injuries sustained as a result of the accident. Some have suspected the victim was a cyclist, but that theory has since been debunked. Local authorities have identified the victim as 49 year-old Elaine Herzberg.
An Uber representative has publicly addressed the tragedy, noting how "our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident." Uber's CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, personally tweeted his condolences when hearing about Herzberg's unfortunate death.
The company has confirmed that the vehicle was travelling in its autonomous mode, but also had a safety driver behind the wheel during the time of the crash. This incident is now known as one of the first cases of an accident involving a self-driving car, which is a relatively new technological phenomenon.