S.F. cyclist ‘doored' by driverless Waymo sues, claiming safety tech failed
Jenifer Hanki was cycling down Seventh Street in February when an autonomous Waymo pulled into her marked bike lane and a passenger popped open a back door, colliding with her bike and ejecting her into the side of a second Waymo also pulling into the bicycle pathway, according to a lawsuit.
Hanki alleges the company's Safe Exit system, aimed at warning passengers of such incoming hazards, failed. She sued Mountain View-based Waymo and its parent company Alphabet earlier this month in San Francisco County Superior Court alleging battery, emotional distress and negligence while seeking unspecified damages.
'Unlike Uber, Lyft, or taxis, where drivers actively monitor traffic and often lock doors or guide passengers to exit safely, Waymo's system fell short significantly,' Hanki said in a released statement. 'There was no alert issued in the illegally parked car as according to the passengers. Human drivers prevent accidents every day by assessing real-time risks, something Waymo's 'Safe Exit' system clearly cannot handle.'
A request for comment from Waymo was not immediately returned Thursday.
The crash happened on Feb. 16, just after noon, as Hanki pedaled to her apartment, traveling northwest on Seventh Street between Stevenson and Market streets in a marked bike lane, the lawsuit said. A Waymo carrying four passengers pulled over to the right side curb on the one-way street next to a no-stopping sign, the suit said.
'The curb-side Waymo's left passenger door suddenly swung open directly in the bike lane,' Hanki said. 'I had no room or time to swerve. With no room or time to react, I crashed violently into the door and interior.'
The 26-year-old said she flew into a second Waymo and landed on the ground 'disoriented and overwhelmed.'
'As there were no human drivers in Waymo's vehicles, it exacerbated the chaos,' she said. 'The passengers were visibly confused, the two Waymos remained as they were, obstructing both the bike lane and regular oncoming traffic.'
Hanki said the passengers told her it was their first Waymo ride, and they were unsure how to report the incident. They shrugged and left the scene after a few minutes, she said. Other witnesses called 911.
An ambulance took Hanki to a hospital with 'serious bodily injuries,' the suit said.
Among the safety systems marketed by Waymo is its Safe Exit, the suit alleges, which is 'supposed to be designed to detect nearby cyclists and pedestrians and notify disembarking passengers to avoid collisions.' Hanki claimed the system failed and that the company long knew its cars were 'dooring' cyclists.
'As technology moves forward, we believe it is crucial for all autonomous car companies to not move forward too quickly,' said Michael Stephenson, Hanki's attorney. 'In the interest of public safety, they must make sure they are adequately testing and refining their technology before subjecting the public to these cars.'
Hanki said she's not against self-driving technology, but believes there's a 'gap in accountability.' She said she suffered a brain injury, along with spine and soft tissue damage, and the crash has kept her out of work and off bikes.
'I have yet to touch a bicycle because I am afraid of revisiting the same experience,' she said. 'I feel anxious, stressed, and unsafe. Before the crash, cycling was a source of joy and freedom; now how it feels like I've lost that part of myself.'
The incident has subtle similarities to an accident involving a driverless Cruise robotaxi on Market Street in 2023. In that incident, a car driven by a human struck a jaywalking pedestrian, causing the person to ricochet into the path of an oncoming Cruise car, which dragged the person before stopping. Cruise has not operated its driverless vehicles in the city since the accident.
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