An out-of-control Waymo crashed into multiple parked cars on a narrow Los Angeles street near Dodgers Stadium over the weekend.
Shocking surveillance footage shows the van went off-road in the 1200 block of Lilac Place, traveling at a high rate of speed along a grassy hill before it knocked down a street sign at around 11am on Sunday.
A security camera from a different angle then caught the autonomous vehicle swerving back onto the street, where it clipped at least two vehicles parked on the side of the road.
One of the parked cars had its driver’s side door open at the time, and the impact of the crash left the door hanging by its hinges.
The Waymo van finally came to a stop on the one-way street when it got a flat tire – as it crashed into the rear of another vehicle parked along the street.
A representative for Waymo said that an autonomous vehicle specialist was in the vehicle at the time.
Homeowner Jorge Donantonio said his mother’s car and a neighbor’s car were struck in the collision – leaving them with vehicle damage as they await insurance claims.
‘You can see from the video – the Waymo lost control down the street and it just happened to hit my mama’s car,’ he told KTLA.
Shocking surveillance footage caught the moment a Waymo van went off-road in Los Angeles, taking down a street sign near Dodgers Stadium on Sunday morning
The Waymo got back on the road and slammed into two vehicles parked along the street
The autonomous vehicle finally came to a stop after getting a flat tire – as it crashed into the rear of another vehicle parked along the street
Donantonio added that his mother and brother were standing nearby when the Waymo van flew past, nearly striking them as well.
‘My brother was able to push my mom out of the way before the car. Luckily, they’re OK,’ he said.
A representative for the self-driving taxi company said the vehicle was being manually driven by one of its autonomous vehicle specialists and that there were no passengers inside at the time of the crash and no injuries were reported.
But Donantonio told NBC Los Angeles he believes the autonomous vehicle specialist was traveling up to 40mph down the narrow street in Echo Park, where residents typically travel at five to 10mph.
‘I pulled him out,’ the homeowner said of the unidentified Waymo driver, who he said looked like he was injured by the airbags.
‘[The driver said] he was trying to hit the brake, but he said that he lost control.’
Cellphone footage from the scene obtained by NBC Los Angeles also showed that the specialist appeared to be disoriented and shocked moments after the vehicle came to a stop.
The van also seemed to have damage to the front bumper, with the airbags inflated inside.
Crashes involving the autonomous vehicles have happened before on the street, Donantonio said.
‘During the games, it loses control,’ he claimed, noting that his mother is now unable to drive while she waits for her insurance claim to be processed.
