San Francisco

Waymo vehicle hits cyclist in San Francisco; no serious injuries

NBC Universal, Inc.

A Waymo driverless vehicle in San Francisco collided with a bicyclist Tuesday, resulting in minor scratches to the victim, according to San Francisco police.

At about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, a 911 call was made reporting that a cyclist was hit by a vehicle at 17th and Mississippi streets, police said, but the cyclist was not taken to the hospital.

The vehicle involved was not at the scene when paramedics arrived, police said, and they added they do not know if the vehicle was driverless or with a driver.

Waymo released a statement about the incident Wednesday morning:

"On February 6th at 17th Street and Mississippi Street in San Francisco, one of our vehicles was involved in a collision with a bicyclist. The Waymo vehicle was at a complete stop at a four-way intersection. An oncoming large truck progressed through the intersection in our direction and then at our turn to proceed, we moved into the intersection.

"The cyclist was occluded by the truck and quickly followed behind it, crossing into the Waymo vehicle’s path. When they became fully visible, our vehicle applied heavy braking but was not able to avoid the collision. Waymo called police to the scene and the cyclist left on their own, to our knowledge reporting only minor scratches. We are making contact with relevant authorities surrounding this event."

The cause of the collision is under investigation. Anyone with information should contact the SFPD Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.

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