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General Motors’ self-driving robotaxi subsidiary Cruise confirmed Wednesday that nine employees have “departed Cruise” as a result of an ongoing investigation into an Oct. 2 accident in which a Cruise vehicle hit and dragged a pedestrian.
The departures include COO Gil West, plus the chief legal officer and the head of government affairs, according to a person familiar with the situation who wasn’t authorized to release that information.
Cruise spokesman Erik Moser sent this statement to the Detroit Free Press: “Today, following an initial analysis of the October 2 incident and Cruise’s response to it, nine individuals departed Cruise.”
The statement said the departed employees also included key leaders in commercial operations and safety and systems.
“As a company, we are committed to full transparency and are focused on rebuilding trust and operating with the highest standards when it comes to safety, integrity, and accountability and believe that new leadership is necessary to achieve these goals,” the statement read.
GM’s reaction
GM stands by Cruise. CEO Mary Barra touted the benefits of autonomous technology earlier in the day during an interview at the Economic Club of Washington D.C. Barra made a reference to Cruise starting again some day.
GM spokesperson Faryl Ury said in an email Wednesday night that, “The personnel decisions made today are a necessary step for Cruise to move forward as it focuses on accountability, trust and transparency. GM remains committed to supporting Cruise in these efforts.”
At an Automotive Press Association event earlier this month, Barra told reporters she expects a third-party safety review of how Cruise handled the incident to be complete by early next year and, “We will be transparent” with the reports.
Barra said after GM studies those reports, it will determine how to proceed with Cruise. She said GM is “very focused on righting the ship there.”
Some misrepresentations
As the Free Press has reported, on Oct. 2 in San Francisco, a Nissan Sentra hit a pedestrian, pushing her into the path of an oncoming Cruise driverless car. The Cruise vehicle braked hard, but hit her. The car then proceeded to drive 20 feet at 7 mph to the curb, dragging the woman and leaving her critically injured.
But the whole story was not immediately shared with authorities. Earlier this month, the Free Press reported that a California administrative law judge ordered Cruise to explain why it it should not be fined for “misleading” California regulators.
The ruling stated that Cruise Senior Manager Jose Alvarado called the California Public Utilities Commission to report the pedestrian accident on Oct. 3. But Alvarado’s description of the incident omitted the information about the pullover maneuver, which resulted in the pedestrian being dragged.
That omission, “misled the Commission regarding the extent and severity of the October 2, 2023 incident, as well as the ability of Cruise’s AV’s to operate safely after experiencing a collision,” the ruling stated.
In a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Free Press, documents from the California Department of Motor Vehicles show that on Oct. 3 the DMV was shown a video, provided by Cruise, from onboard vehicle cameras of the incident. The video also ended at the hard stop when the pedestrian was struck, the document said.
More:Kyle Vogt, Cruise CEO, resigns after safety questions, recalls of self-driving vehicles
More:Under fire, GM’s Cruise suspends supervised car trips, expands safety investigation
Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
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