“Cruise”ing for “Waymo” Lawsuits: Liability in Autonomous Vehicle Crashes

By Caroline Kropka

On October 2, 2023, a driverless vehicle traveled down a San Francisco street.[1] The taxi was one of around 950 autonomous Cruise (a robotaxi service owned by General Motors) vehicles operating across the United States by October of that year.[2]

Ahead, a driver-operated car struck a pedestrian, throwing her into the Cruise’s path. The Cruise braked, unable to avoid hitting the pedestrian, still came to a complete stop. But the Cruise then suddenly pulled out of traffic, dragging the pedestrian twenty feet and eventually pinning her beneath its tire.[3]