2024
Dec 2024
Show drone injures a child
Orlando, Florida
Drones collided during a holiday light show and fell into the crowd. One struck a 7-year-old in the chest, requiring open-heart surgery.
source · FAA; public reporting
Incidents
When machines meet people
Documented safety failures of autonomous machines around people, since 2000.
65
killed
386
injured
Autonomous & driver-assist vehicles, 2019-2025
NHTSA (US)
144
deaths
1,391
injuries
Robotic surgery, 2000-2013
FDA MAUDE · Alemzadeh 2016
41
deaths
Industrial robots, U.S. workers, 1992-2017
NIOSH (US)
0
killed
0
injured
Humanoid robots, not yet at scale. How many will they cause?
2024
Apr 2024
Full Self-Driving kills a motorcyclist
Washington State
A Tesla on Full Self-Driving struck and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle while the driver was looking at his phone.
source · Public reporting
2023
Nov 2023
Full Self-Driving kills a pedestrian
Rimrock, Arizona
A Tesla on Full Self-Driving hit a stopped SUV and a person beside it in low sun, killing a woman. It helped trigger a federal investigation into the system.
source · NHTSA
2023
Nov 2023
Industrial robot crushes a worker
South Korea
A worker inspecting a robotic arm was crushed against a conveyor belt after the machine failed to tell him apart from the boxes it handled.
source · Public reporting
2023
Oct 2023
Robotaxi drags a pedestrian
San Francisco
Thrown into its path by another car, a pedestrian was dragged about twenty feet as the robotaxi pulled over, never sensing a person underneath. California pulled Cruise's permit.
source · California DMV; NHTSA
2022
2022
Surgical robot tied to a patient death
Florida
A patient died after stray current from a da Vinci surgical instrument allegedly burned her intestine, in a closely watched suit against Intuitive Surgical.
source · Court filings; public reporting
2021
Aug 2021
Driver-assist fails on a static obstacle
China
A NIO driver using the car's navigation-assist feature was killed after the system failed to handle a stationary obstacle on a highway.
source · Public reporting
2020
Feb 2020
Autonomous shuttle throws a passenger
Columbus, Ohio
An EasyMile shuttle braked hard and threw a seated passenger, injuring her. US regulators suspended the company's passenger shuttles across ten states.
source · NHTSA
2019
Mar 2019
Autopilot under-rides a truck again
Delray Beach, Florida
Jeremy Banner died when his Tesla on Autopilot drove beneath a tractor-trailer crossing the highway, repeating the 2016 failure almost exactly.
source · NTSB
2018
Dec 2018
Warehouse robot punctures a bear-spray can
Robbinsville, New Jersey
An Amazon fulfillment robot punctured an aerosol can of bear repellent, sending two dozen workers to the hospital.
source · OSHA; public reporting
2018
Mar 2018
Autopilot steers into a barrier
Mountain View, California
Walter Huang was killed when his Tesla on Autopilot steered into a freeway barrier; investigators cited both system limits and a distracted driver.
source · NTSB
2018
Mar 2018
Self-driving car kills a pedestrian
Tempe, Arizona
The first pedestrian killed by an autonomous vehicle. The test system saw her seconds ahead but kept reclassifying her and never braked.
source · NTSB
2016
Jul 2016
Security robot knocks down a toddler
Palo Alto
A 300-pound patrol robot ran into a 16-month-old, knocking him down and over his foot. It never registered the child in its path.
source · Public reporting
2016
Jun 2016
Robot restarts on a worker clearing a fault
Cusseta, Alabama
Regina Elsea, 20, was crushed when a robot abruptly restarted as she cleared a sensor fault. OSHA cited the plant for lockout failures.
source · OSHA
2016
May 2016
Autopilot fails to see a truck
Williston, Florida
On Autopilot, the car drove at full speed under a crossing truck. It never perceived the white trailer against a bright sky.
source · NHTSA; NTSB
2016
Jan 2016
First Autopilot-involved death
China
A Tesla on Autopilot struck a road-sweeping truck in China, killing the driver, in what is regarded as the first Autopilot-involved death. Tesla disputed whether the system was engaged.
source · Public reporting
2015
Aug 2015
Welding robot kills a loader
Manesar, India
A worker reaching behind a welding station was struck by a pre-programmed robot arm and died. Reports differ on the exact cause.
source · Public reporting
2015
Jul 2015
Robot enters an occupied cell
Ionia, Michigan
Wanda Holbrook, a maintenance technician, was killed when a robot from an adjacent section moved into the cell she was servicing.
source · MIOSHA; public reporting
2015
Jul 2015
Robot kills a worker during setup
Baunatal, Germany
A contractor configuring an assembly robot was seized and crushed against a plate. It worked exactly as designed, inside its cage, beside a human.
source · Public reporting
2012
Aug 2012
Worker crushed by an automated vehicle
Granite City, Illinois
A worker overseeing operations at a food-packaging warehouse was pinned and killed between a laser-guided automated vehicle and a steel racking unit.
source · Material Handling & Logistics
2010
2010
Surgical robot death after a hysterectomy
Bronx, New York
A 24-year-old died weeks after a robotic-assisted hysterectomy, in a wrongful-death suit alleging a surgical instrument burned an artery.
source · Court filings; public reporting
2007
2007
First da Vinci case to reach a verdict
Chicago, Illinois
A 49-year-old died after a robotic spleen removal perforated his intestine. A jury later awarded $7.5 million, an early signal of robotic-surgery risk.
source · Court verdict; public reporting
2001
Jan 2001
Gantry robot crushes a mold setter
Michigan
A mold setter who leaned into a molding machine looking for tools was killed when its gantry robot cycled and crushed him against the frame.
source · NIOSH FACE 01MI002
There is no global registry for these events, so the figures below are drawn from the most systematic records that exist (largely U.S. regulators) and undercount the true worldwide totals. Notable documented cases follow, newest first, and are not exhaustive. The older deaths are mostly safety-cage failures; the recent ones, perception. Sources: NHTSA, NTSB, NIOSH, OSHA, FDA adverse-event data, and public reporting.