A self-driving Uber car hit and killed a pedestrian Sunday night in Tempe, Arizona, police said, in what appears to be the first case of a pedestrian death caused by an autonomous vehicle.
The vehicle was in "autonomous mode at the time of the collision, with a vehicle operator behind the wheel," Tempe police said in a statement.
The female pedestrian, identified as 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, was walking her bicycle across the street outside the crosswalk when she was struck. She died of her injuries at a hospital.
In a briefing on Monday afternoon, police said the car was equipped with multiple cameras -- one looking forward and one facing the human driver. The vehicle was going 40 mph when it hit the pedestrian. There was no indication the car attempted to slow itself before the collision. There were no passengers in the Uber vehicle.
In the wake of the crash, Uber has suspended its self-driving operations in San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Phoenix and Toronto, Uber said, "Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident."
