Reading this, it rather seems like the AV wasn't at fault in the accident itself and handled itself well. However, after coming to a complete stop, while the pedestrian was still on the ground in front of it, it then started again and drove into the pedestrian and continued for another 20 feet pushing the pedestrian along (and presumably under) the car. They say it did this to leave the car in a safe place, but this differs drastically from a normal driver who'd get out and look round the vehicle before moving it anywhere.
I'd say the initial hit probably did a chunk of damage to the pedestrian, but quite likely not fatal unless their head hit the ground. But then being driven over and dragged 20 feet is going to be pretty scary and in all likelihood cause more serious injuries than the initial impact.
> Reading this, it rather seems like the AV wasn't at fault in the accident itself and handled itself well.
Probably because you're reading their press release. Their previous press release was even more convincing - they somehow forgot to mention the part about draggin the pedestrian at the time.
Here they somehow forget to mention the car has already accellerated to 18mph while a pedestrian was still crossing the road.
I get your point, but on the other hand if a pedestrian was crossing on their when the light turns green and the pedestrian was already clear of the lane, I think most human drivers would also proceed. I'm in a different country but, both as a driver and as a pedestrian, I witness this exact situation on a daily basis.
I'm not trying to detract from the horrible outcome of this case, but the problem wasn't the car pulling away at a green light when there were no obstacles in front of it, but the way the car decided to move itself to a "safer place" immediately after an accident when it clearly didn't have enough sensors or the AI wasn't trained sufficiently on this kind of situation to be 100% sure that it was safe for it to make the maneuver.
> but this differs drastically from a normal driver who'd get out and look round the vehicle before moving it anywhere
That is an optimistic view of the likely behavior of your hypothetical driver. Hit and runs are commonplace. Dragging struck pedestrians around isn't all that uncommon either. Panicked motorists frequently make very bad decisions.
I'd say the initial hit probably did a chunk of damage to the pedestrian, but quite likely not fatal unless their head hit the ground. But then being driven over and dragged 20 feet is going to be pretty scary and in all likelihood cause more serious injuries than the initial impact.