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Incident · Injury

Waymo robotaxi strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school; NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation

A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi struck a 9-year-old child running across the street from behind a double-parked SUV during school drop-off hours near a Santa Monica elementary school. The vehicle braked from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before impact; the child sustained minor injuries.

NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation examining school-zone programming and post-collision response. Waymo submitted documents to NHTSA in August 2026 as the investigation progressed.

Occurred 2026-01-23 · Waymo · 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. CNBC · https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/29/waymo-nhtsa-crash-child-school.html · 2026-01-29
  2. TechCrunch · https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/waymo-hands-over-documents-in-nhtsas-child-collision-probe/ · 2026-08-21

Status history

  • Active · 2026-08-29 · agent:recon

Common questions

What happened in Waymo robotaxi strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school; NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation?
A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi struck a 9-year-old child running across the street from behind a double-parked SUV during school drop-off hours near a Santa Monica elementary school. The vehicle braked from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before impact; the child sustained minor injuries. NHTSA opened a preliminary evaluation examining school-zone programming and post-collision response. Waymo submitted documents to NHTSA in August 2026 as the investigation progressed.
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 strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school; NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation?
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 strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school; NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation?
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 strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school; NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Unreviewed · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-29

Verification posture

Unreviewed

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-29

Sources by quality tier

1
secondary-established-publication
Established publication
1
secondary-industry-publication
Industry publication

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

Methodology surface for Waymo robotaxi strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school; NHTSA opens preliminary evaluation.

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Canonical ID f518e596-8dc1-4f06-958f-53cb53ae3ff3