A Waymo robotaxi struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica on January 23, resulting in minor injuries, according to the company. The incident has prompted an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), adding to growing scrutiny of Waymo's autonomous vehicle operations.
Waymo reported to the NHTSA that the child, whose age remains undisclosed, sustained minor injuries. The federal agency has launched an investigation into the accident, and Waymo has publicly committed to full cooperation throughout the process, as stated in a blog post.
According to Waymo's account, its autonomous vehicle was traveling at approximately 17 miles per hour before braking "hard" and striking the child at 6 mph. The company's blog post detailed that the young pedestrian "suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV, moving directly into our vehicle’s path." Waymo asserted that its vehicle "immediately detected the individual as soon as they began to emerge from behind the stopped vehicle."
Waymo's post further described the immediate aftermath: "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."
This incident adds to a series of safety concerns for Waymo, which is currently under two separate investigations concerning its robotaxis illegally passing school buses. The NHTSA initiated a probe into this issue in October 2025, following an initial report of such an incident in Atlanta, Georgia. More recently, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched its own investigation last week, prompted by approximately 20 similar incidents reported in Austin, Texas.
This is a developing story.
