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Incident · Collision

Waymo robotaxi struck 9-year-old child at low speed in Santa Monica school zone

A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi traveling at 17 mph braked to 6 mph before colliding with a 9-year-old girl who stepped into the street near a school in Santa Monica, California. The child fell and reported minor injuries but did not require medical transport. NHTSA opened investigation PE26001 and the NTSB launched a separate investigation (HWY26FH008). NHTSA sent 12 questions to Waymo on March 23; Waymo submitted redacted responses citing confidential business information, with final submissions completed by August 2026.

Occurred 2026-01-23 · Waymo Driver (6th gen) at Portland, Oregon, USA · Waymo · Portland, Oregon, USA · Robotaxis · Investigated by NHTSA

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Incident records on DEPLOY are compiled from public sources (regulatory filings, news reports, and operator disclosures) and reflect what has been reported and tracked to date. They are not legal findings, determinations of fault, or safety ratings, and may be updated as new information is verified. See the sources below for the underlying references.
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Sources (2)

  1. NTSB · https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/HWY26FH008.aspx · 2026-03-01
  2. TechCrunch · https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/waymo-hands-over-documents-in-nhtsas-child-collision-probe/ · 2026-08-21

Status history

  • Active · 2026-08-21 · agent:recon

Common questions

What happened in Waymo robotaxi struck 9-year-old child at low speed in Santa Monica school zone?
A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi traveling at 17 mph braked to 6 mph before colliding with a 9-year-old girl who stepped into the street near a school in Santa Monica, California. The child fell and reported minor injuries but did not require medical transport. NHTSA opened investigation PE26001 and the NTSB launched a separate investigation (HWY26FH008). NHTSA sent 12 questions to Waymo on March 23; Waymo submitted redacted responses citing confidential business information, with final submissions completed by August 2026.
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.
What robot was involved in Waymo robotaxi struck 9-year-old child at low speed in Santa Monica school zone?
Waymo Driver (6th gen) by Waymo is the recorded robot involved in this incident at Portland, Oregon, USA.
Has anyone responded to Waymo robotaxi struck 9-year-old child at low speed in Santa Monica school zone?
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 9-year-old child at low speed in Santa Monica school zone?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-23

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-23

Sources by quality tier

1
primary-government-record
Government record
1
secondary-industry-publication
Industry publication

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Waymo robotaxi struck 9-year-old child at low speed in Santa Monica school zone.

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Canonical ID 82d9e05f-552f-4417-966c-9e5394f4c498