Story Archive

Hit and Run

Before an Uber self-driving car ran over a pedestrian in Arizona, killing her, Jessica Mclemore says a self-driving Uber crashed into her car in Pittsburgh, Pa. An operator in the driver’s seat of the Uber told her that the car was in “test mode,” and “He assured me Uber would take care of everything. He said we will make sure we get you a ride home, we’ll tow your car and we’ll take care of the damages.” And then he left — his car was still driveable, but hers wasn’t. After two weeks of hearing nothing about those promises, she went to the media. “I feel like I was taken advantage of,” Mclemore complains. “They told me what I needed to hear in order for them to leave.” After killing the pedestrian, Uber suspended its self-driving testing program — and said they contacted Mclemore’s insurance company. (RC/WPXI Pittsburgh) ...Which isn’t to say they offered a settlement.