Incidents in California
Recorded incidents involving robots, autonomous vehicles, drones and other physical AI systems in California, each with sources.
- 15
- Incidents recorded
- 2
- Deaths
- 6
- Reported injuries
- 2009–26
- Years covered
15 records
Most recent first- Minor injury
Waymo robotaxi strikes child near Santa Monica elementary school
A driverless Waymo struck a 9-year-old who crossed mid-block from between stopped cars near a Santa Monica elementary school on January 23, 2026. NHTSA and the NTSB opened probes.
- Near miss
Lawsuit alleges Figure AI humanoid punched refrigerator beside a worker
A former Figure AI safety engineer's November 2025 lawsuit alleges an F.02 humanoid malfunctioned and punched a refrigerator beside an employee. Figure denies the allegation.
- Property damage
Waymo robotaxi kills neighborhood store cat in San Francisco
A Waymo robotaxi ran over and killed KitKat, a well-known store cat, outside a market on 16th Street in San Francisco's Mission District late on October 27, 2025.
- Near miss
Serve delivery robot blocks mobility scooter user in West Hollywood
A man with cerebral palsy said a Serve Robotics robot repeatedly cut off his mobility scooter on a West Hollywood sidewalk before they made contact. He was not injured.
- Disruption
Waymo robotaxi and Serve delivery robot collide at Los Angeles intersection
A driverless Waymo making a right turn hit a Serve Robotics delivery robot that was trying to mount a curb. The impact was about 4 mph and neither vehicle was damaged.
- Serious injury
Cruise robotaxi drags pedestrian about 20 feet in San Francisco
A driverless Cruise robotaxi ran over a pedestrian thrown into its path by another car in San Francisco on October 2, 2023, then dragged her about 20 feet while pulling over.
- Minor injury
Cruise robotaxi collides with San Francisco fire truck, injuring rider
A driverless Cruise robotaxi carrying a passenger collided with a fire truck responding to an emergency in San Francisco on August 17, 2023. The DMV had Cruise halve its fleet.
- Serious injury
Lawsuit says FANUC robot arm knocked out Tesla technician in Fremont
A former Tesla robotics technician alleges a FANUC robot arm struck him and knocked him unconscious during disassembly at the Fremont factory on July 22, 2023.
- Property damage
Animatronic dragon catches fire during Disneyland's Fantasmic! show
The 45-foot animatronic Maleficent dragon in Disneyland's Fantasmic! show caught fire during a performance on April 22, 2023 and was engulfed in flames. No injuries were reported.
- Disruption
Serve Robotics delivery robot crosses police tape at Hollywood High School
A Serve Robotics delivery robot rolled under police tape and through an LAPD scene outside Hollywood High School during a reported shooting that turned out to be a hoax.
- Property damage
Pony.ai driverless test car hits median and sign in Fremont
A Pony.ai test vehicle in autonomous mode struck a center divider and a traffic sign in Fremont on October 28, 2021. California suspended its driverless testing permit.
- Property damage
Kiwibot delivery robot catches fire on UC Berkeley campus
A Kiwibot food delivery robot caught fire on the UC Berkeley campus. No one was hurt. Kiwi blamed a defective battery installed by mistake and briefly pulled its fleet.
- Fatal
Tesla Model X on Autopilot hits highway barrier in Mountain View
A Tesla Model X using Autopilot steered into a gore area on US-101 in Mountain View on March 23, 2018, and hit a damaged crash attenuator, killing the 38-year-old driver.
- Minor injury
Knightscope K5 security robot knocks down toddler at Palo Alto mall
A 300-pound Knightscope K5 security robot collided with a 16-month-old boy at Stanford Shopping Center, leaving him with a scraped, swollen leg. The mall suspended its robots.
- Fatal
Golden State Foods bakery worker killed at robotic box sorter in Industry
A 40-year-old worker at a Golden State Foods bakery in City of Industry, California, was killed on July 21, 2009, reportedly crushed between a conveyor and a robot arm.