Woman hit by driver, run over by Cruise robotaxi in downtown San Francisco

A woman suffered “traumatic injuries” after being hit by a human driver and becoming trapped under a Cruise robotaxi in Downtown San Francisco Monday night, according to a Cruise spokesperson.

Firefighters responded to Fifth and Market streets at 9:35 p.m. within 60 seconds and worked to secure the vehicle and free the woman. She was then transported to San Francisco General Hospital with “multiple traumatic injuries,” San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Justin Schorr said.

Cruise representatives arrived at the scene within 30 minutes of the crash and are working with police on the investigation, Schorr said.

Cruise said its autonomous vehicle was driving parallel to the vehicle that hit the woman at the time of the incident.

“At approximately 9:30 p.m. on Monday, a human-driven vehicle struck a pedestrian while traveling in the lane immediately to the left of a Cruise AV,” a Cruise spokesperson said in a statement. “The initial impact was severe and launched the pedestrian directly in front of the AV. The AV then braked aggressively to minimize the impact. The driver of the other vehicle fled the scene, and at the request of the police the AV was kept in place. Our heartfelt concern and focus is the wellbeing of the person who was injured and we are actively working with police to help identify the responsible driver.”

The woman was trapped under the autonomous vehicle for less than five minutes after rescuers arrived, officials said.

The San Francisco Police Department said officers arrived at approximately 9:31 p.m. and discovered an autonomous vehicle struck a female pedestrian.

Officers rendered aid and summoned medics to the scene. Police said the medical condition of the pedestrian remains unknown at this time.

There were no passengers in the Cruise vehicle at the time of the crash, police said.

The area will be closed for an investigation by the police, authorities said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information from Cruise. The robotaxi company says the woman was first hit by a human driver before becoming stuck under the autonomous vehicle.