A Waymo robo-taxi hits a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica

A Waymo robotaxi hit a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica on Jan. 23, according to the company. Waymo told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the child — whose age was unknown — suffered minor injuries.

The NHTSA opened an investigation into the incident, and Waymo said in a blog post that it would “fully cooperate with them throughout the process.”

Waymo said its robotaxi hit the child at 6 mph, after braking hard from about 17 mph. The young pedestrian “suddenly entered the road from behind a tall SUV and moved directly into the path of our vehicle,” the company said in a blog post. Waymo said its vehicle “immediately detected the individual as soon as he began to emerge from behind the parked vehicle.”

“After contact, the pedestrian immediately stopped, walked to the sidewalk, and we called 911,” Waymo wrote in the post. “The vehicle remained parked, moved to the side of the road, and remained there until law enforcement cleared the vehicle to leave the scene.”

News of the incident comes as Waymo faces dual investigations into its robotaxis illegally passing school buses. The NHTSA opened an investigation into the problem in October shortly after the crash in Atlanta, Georgia, was first reported, and the National Transportation Safety Board opened its own investigation last week after about 20 crashes were reported in Austin, Texas.

This story develops…