Uber self-driving car hits and kills pedestrian [Updated]

An Uber self-driving car in Tempe, Arizona has struck and killed a pedestrian, according to local TV news station KNXV. Local authorities have identified the victim as 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg.

According to the Tempe Police, "occurred overnight on Mill Ave. just south of Curry Rd." Herzberg was pushing her bicycle across the street when the Uber vehicle, which was traveling northbound, hit her.

"She was transported to a local area hospital where she passed away from her injuries," the police said in a statement.

Tempe Police say the car was in self-driving mode, and there was a safety driver behind the wheel of the car.

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to investigate the incident.

“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family," an Uber spokeswoman said in a statement. "We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident."

Uber has suspended its driverless car testing program nationwide.

If the death was caused by an error by Uber's driverless car software, it would be the first such death in the United States. An error in Tesla's Autopilot software contributed to the death of Tesla driver Joshua Brown in 2016, but that crash happened only after the driver ignored repeated warnings to put his hands back on the steering wheel. And Tesla has emphasized that Autopilot is a driver assistance feature, not a replacement for a human driver.

Uber, in contrast, is trying to build fully autonomous vehicles. There are hundreds of such vehicles being tested around the United States by Waymo, Cruise, Uber, and other companies. But until now, there have been few serious accidents caused by this testing and no fatalities.