Texas' first fatal AV crash confirmed — Waymo, not Tesla, was involved
A pedestrian's death in Dallas on Aug. 7 is now confirmed as Texas' first fatal crash involving an autonomous vehicle — but the vehicle was a Waymo robotaxi, not a Tesla. The man was struck by an SUV and thrown into the Waymo's path; Waymo says it slowed from about 24 mph to 5 mph before contact and wasn't at fault. The news lands the same week NHTSA hit Tesla's Cybercab program with a special order, intensifying scrutiny of driverless operations across Texas.
According to Dallas police, the crash happened just after 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 7 near Maple Avenue, when 71-year-old Juan Guzman stepped outside a crosswalk and was hit by a southbound SUV.
The impact threw Guzman more than 30 feet into the northbound lane, where an unoccupied Waymo vehicle was approaching. Waymo says its system detected him and slowed from roughly 24 mph to 5 mph before contact; he was taken to a hospital and later died. No charges have been filed.
NHTSA's crash database has recorded no other robotaxi-related fatality in Texas since it began tracking driverless-vehicle incidents in mid-2025, making this the first such case in the state.
Tesla was not involved — its own robotaxi service operates in Austin, not Dallas — but the timing is notable: the crash surfaced the same week federal regulators issued a special order demanding Tesla explain Cybercab's human-control features, keeping driverless safety in Texas under a broader spotlight.
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