Autonomous Uber Strikes and Kills Pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona

The US National Transportation Safety Board is investigating after an autonomous Uber test vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona Sunday night.

According to local ABC affiliate ABC 15, a self-driving Uber prototype vehicle was traveling northbound when it hit a pedestrian that was walking across the street. The vehicle was in autonomous mode with an operator in the driver’s seat at the time of the accident. The pedestrian, who unfortunately succumbed to their injuries after being taken to hospital, was reportedly walking outside of the painted crosswalk lines.

“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family,” Uber said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident.”

SEE ALSO:Uber Pulls Self-Driving Cars From the Streets After Crash

The Tempe Police Department also released a statement about the crash and said “Uber is assisting and this is still an active investigation.”

As a result of the fatal accident, Uber has pulled its Volvo XC90-based self-driving vehicles from roads in Arizona, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto. The company also pulled its vehicles from public roads following a crash last February and said removing them while an investigation is still active is to protocol.

We’ll provide an update on this story as more details come to light.

[Source: ABC]