What happened

The event occurred when a university parking employee reported that after waiting for the robot to pass, she attempted to cross behind it. The unmanned vehicle unexpectedly reversed, striking her and knocking her to the ground. 

The police report noted that video footage corroborated her account, showing the robot reversing into her without any apparent obstruction in its path. 

After the initial impact, the robot moved forward briefly before reversing again towards the employee, who was still on the ground, exacerbating the situation.

The incident resulted in physical injury to the employee, who complained of lower back pain and a 4-inch cut on her arm.

Following the incident, a Starship representative contacted the injured employee to offer insurance information and "promo codes" - the latter being ridiculed as inappropriate and inadequate by commentators.

The incident only became public knowledge a full year after it occurred, surfacing only because a journalist filed public records requests. 

Why it happened

The exact cause of the incident is unclear, but it appears to be due to a malfunction or flaw in the robot's navigation and safety systems. 

Starship Technologies claimed the robot collided with the person "at an extremely low speed after sensing an approaching vehicle". 

However, police reports noted that there were no other vehicles or obstacles present when the robot reversed into the employee.