Pedestrian is Fatally Struck by an Uber Self Driving Car

On Sunday, one of Uber’s self-driving cars struck a woman in Tempe, Arizona and killed her.

A preliminary investigation of the incident has said that Uber is likely not at fault for the accident.

Video footage taken from cameras that were equipped to the self-driving Volvo SUV could potentially put the blame on the victim, according to Chief of Police Sylvia Moir.

Moir told the San Francisco Chronicle on Monday that the 49-year old victim, Elaine Herzberg, may be to blame and not the vehicle.

“It’s very clear it would have been difficult to avoid this collision in any kind of mode [autonomous or human-driven] based on how she came from the shadows right into the roadway,” Moir told the paper.

“It is dangerous to cross roadways in the evening hour when well-illuminated managed crosswalks are available,” she said.

Despite the vehicle being in autonomous mode, a driver was still present in the front seat and according to Moi, there was little he could have done.

She explained, “The driver said it was like a flash, the person walked out in front of them. His first alert to the collision was the sound of the collision.”

The self-driving Volvo had been driving at 38 mph in a 35 mph zone and did not try to brake. The preliminary investigation according to the Chronicle found that Herzberg had walked suddenly from the center median into a lane of traffic. The police suspect she may have been homeless