_Incident · Injury_

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

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

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

A [Waymo](/companies/waymo.md) 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.

## 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.


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