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A two-vehicle collision Sunday involving a Waymo near downtown Los Angeles sent two people to the hospital and left several others injured, according to first responders.
The crash was reported at 5:45 a.m. near the intersection of Venice Boulevard and Toberman Street in the Pico-Union neighborhood.
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson could not confirm the exact number of victims. A spokesperson from the Los Angeles Fire Department said at least two people were taken to local hospitals and at least one other was treated and released at the scene.
Photos from the site of the accident show debris and clothing scattered around.
The crash was initially reported as an auto-pedestrian collision, and the cause remains unclear. LAPD said at noon Sunday that the police investigation was ongoing.
A Waymo spokesperson suggested the company’s vehicle was not at fault.
According to the company, the Waymo car was traveling east at 27 mph on Venice Boulevard when a blue sedan going 47-50 mph hit a pedestrian outside a crosswalk and then swerved into the opposite traffic lane, striking the self-driving car.
“The safety of our riders and other road users is our top priority,” spokesperson Ethan Teicher said. “We are coordinating with first responders and are grateful for their quick response.”
Other accidents involving Waymo’s taxis have drawn attention recently, including a collision with a child who ran into the street near a Santa Monica elementary school in January. The child sustained minor injuries after being struck by the vehicle, which was moving at around 6 miles per hour at the time of contact.
The company said the incident demonstrated the safety benefits of Waymo.
“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,” a company statement said.
Waymo has consistently said that its vehicles are safer than human drivers.
The company came under fire late last year after a Waymo struck and killed a beloved neighborhood cat named KitKat in San Francisco.
Video evidence shows that the cat lingered under the vehicle for several seconds before it pulled away, killing him. A woman was crouched beside the car, trying to lure KitKat to safety. A human driver easily would have noticed something wasn’t right, critics said.
Waymo vehicles have driven more than 220 million automated miles and operate in more than 10 major cities, including Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix.
