Cruise investigated as robotaxi hits fire engine

A Cruise automated vehicle collided with a fire engine en route to an emergency at a road intersection in San Francisco, resulting in a regulatory investigation.

In a statement on its website, Cruise said one of its cars 'entered the intersection on a green light and was struck by an emergency vehicle that appeared to be en route to an emergency scene.' It added that the car 'did identify the risk of a collision and initiated a braking maneuver, reducing its speed, but was ultimately unable to avoid the collision.'

San Francisco Police Department told Reuters that the fire engine had its siren and forward facing red lights on. The police said the sole passenger in the autonomous vehicle (AV) was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

This crash was part of a series of back-to-back incidents involving Cruise vehicles in San Francisco, including robotaxis blocking traffic and getting stuck in wet cement.

The incident led to a California Department of Motor Vehicles investigation. 

The company was also ordered to suspend its robotaxi operations and to reduce its fleet size by 50 percent.