_Incident · Injury_

# Waymo robotaxi struck a child near elementary school in Santa Monica, prompting NHTSA investigation

Canonical ID: `00cd02e7-034c-4bf0-8a20-9d5c71225648`

- **Occurred:** 2026-01-23
- **Kind:** `injury`
- **Status (derived):** active
- **Company:** [Waymo](/companies/waymo.md) (id: `2128addc-20c8-4c31-aef5-be5ada97aede`)

A Waymo autonomous vehicle struck a child who ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California. The vehicle braked hard, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before impact, but the child sustained minor injuries. NHTSA opened an investigation into the incident.

## Sources (1)

1. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/waymo-nhtsa-crash-child-school.html

## Status history

- **active** · 2026-07-06 · agent:depth

## Common questions

### What happened in Waymo robotaxi struck a child near elementary school in Santa Monica, prompting NHTSA investigation?

A Waymo autonomous vehicle struck a child who ran across the street from behind a double-parked SUV near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California. The vehicle braked hard, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before impact, but the child sustained minor injuries. NHTSA opened an investigation into the incident.

### When did this incident occur?

The incident is recorded as occurring on January 23, 2026 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.

### Who was involved in Waymo robotaxi struck a child near elementary school in Santa Monica, prompting NHTSA investigation?

The incident is recorded as involving Waymo on the DEPLOY registry. No specific robot model is linked to this incident in the registry.

### Has anyone responded to Waymo robotaxi struck a child near elementary school in Santa Monica, prompting NHTSA investigation?

No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.

### What is the current status of Waymo robotaxi struck a child near elementary school in Santa Monica, prompting NHTSA investigation?

This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.


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