March 19 (UPI) -- In the first death involving a self-driving car, an Uber vehicle on automous mode struck a pedestrian in Tempe, Ariz., early Monday
There was a person behind the wheel, but the car was driving itself at the time of the collision, Tempe police said.
"The vehicle was traveling northbound just south of Curry Rd. when a female walking outside of the crosswalk crossed the road from west to east when she was struck by the Uber vehicle," police said. "She was transported to a local area hospital where she passed away from her injuries."
As police investigate the crash, Uber suspended its self-driving tests on public roads across the United States and Canada. Uber had been testing the technology in other cities, including San Francisco, Toronto and Pittsburgh.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tweeted Monday. "We're thinking of the victim's family as we work with local law enforcement to understand what happened."
This is the first known fatality from an autonomous vehicle, but there have been other collisions. An Uber self-driving car had another crash last year in Arizona with no serious injuries. A Uber self-driving car was also involved in a collision in Pittsburgh last week.
