A woman in San Francisco was rescued from underneath a self-driving car after being mowed down by two different vehicles on a roadway. The incident occurred just after 9:30 p.m. and involved a Cruise autonomous vehicle. Upon arrival at the scene, first responders discovered the woman wedged beneath the left rear axle of the autonomous car. San Francisco Fire Captain Justin Shore stated that rescuers were unable to obtain any information regarding the victim's injuries or how she ended up trapped beneath the vehicle since both cars involved in the collision had fled the scene.

According to Cruise's statement, their self-driving vehicle was traveling in the lane adjacent to the human-driven vehicle when the woman was struck. The impact was so severe that it launched the pedestrian directly in front of the autonomous car. Cruise claimed that their vehicle braked aggressively to minimize the impact. Additionally, video footage provided by the company showed that the victim was initially hit by the hit-and-run driver before falling into the path of the self-driving car.

Although the autonomous vehicle remained at the scene, there was no occupant inside at the time of the collision. Heavy rescue tools, including the Jaws of Life, were necessary to extricate the woman from under the vehicle. First responders were able to render aid within a minute of the initial dispatch, and the woman was transported to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries.

San Francisco, known for its experimentation with autonomous vehicles, has been the host city for Cruise, a General Motors-owned company, and Google's Waymo startup. However, the introduction of self-driving cars to the city has not been without controversy. The vehicles have been criticized for blocking ambulances and causing other safety concerns.

The investigation into the incident is being led by the San Francisco Police Department's Traffic Division. Authorities are urging anyone with information about the collision to contact the police department.