Driverless Waymo vehicle strikes child in California

An autonomous vehicle struck a student in Santa Monica last week, but the victim was not injured, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.

The Santa Monica Police Department said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “On January 23, 2026, at approximately 8:31 a.m., Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to a traffic collision involving an autonomous vehicle and a student near 24th Street and Pearl Street, adjacent to Grant Elementary School.”

“Preliminary information indicates the student entered the roadway outside the available crosswalk and away from the on duty crossing guard, and was involved in a low speed, non-injury collision with the vehicle,” the statement continued.

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“Santa Monica Fire Department personnel responded to the scene and evaluated the student. No injuries were reported, and the student’s parent was present. Officers conducted an on scene investigation, and the incident remains under review,” the statement concluded.

Waymo, a company that falls under Alphabet’s umbrella, issued a statement about the incident.

“Following the event, we voluntarily contacted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that same day. NHTSA has indicated to us that they intend to open an investigation into this incident, and we will cooperate fully with them throughout the process,” the company noted in the statement.

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“The event occurred when the pedestrian suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV, moving directly into our vehicle’s path. Our technology immediately detected the individual as soon as they began to emerge from behind the stopped vehicle. The Waymo Driver braked hard, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact was made,” the company asserted.

Waymo suggested that the vehicle slowed down faster than a human driver would have in such a circumstance.

“To put this in perspective, our peer-reviewed model shows that a fully attentive human driver in this same situation would have made contact with the pedestrian at approximately 14 mph. This significant reduction in impact speed and severity is a demonstration of the material safety benefit of the Waymo Driver,” the company declared.

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“Following contact, the pedestrian stood up immediately, walked to the sidewalk, and we called 911. The vehicle remained stopped, moved to the side of the road, and stayed there until law enforcement cleared the vehicle to leave the scene,” Waymo noted.