WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In a disturbing incident that took place in October,
a Cruise robotaxi, an autonomous vehicle developed by General Motors'(GM)
subsidiary, Cruise, was involved in a collision with a pedestrian in San
Francisco.

Fortune reported that Cruise compensated the victim with an amount ranging
between $8 million and $12 million for the injuries sustained during this
distressing incident.

The collision resulted in the pedestrian being dragged over 20 feet by the
self-driving vehicle. The incident occurred in downtown San Francisco and left
the victim with life-threatening injuries. Although the victim's identity has
not been disclosed, it is known that she was initially in critical condition and
was later discharged from Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

The aftermath of the accident saw significant changes within Cruise, including
the resignation of the CEO and the suspension of all testing activities across
the United States. In response to the incident, General Motors reduced Cruise's
annual budget by $1 billion and made substantial alterations to its management
team. Financial reports show that since General Motors' acquisition in 2016, the
robotaxi firm has suffered losses exceeding $9 billion.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles revealed that Cruise failed to
provide complete footage of a previous incident on October 2nd, where a human
driver struck a woman and then dragged by a robotaxi in downtown San Francisco.
As a result, the DMV revoked Cruise's permits for driverless taxi operations.

Currently, the company is working towards reinstating its license to transport
passengers in San Francisco autonomously and has plans to resume operations in
Phoenix shortly. Cruise has recently resumed vehicle testing, albeit with human
drivers in control.



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