By Mike Redondo, Founding Attorney, Redondo Law, P.A. • October 2026
Waymo’s driverless robotaxis have been carrying passengers in Miami since January 2026, in Brickell, Wynwood, the Design District, Coral Gables and a growing service area. Sooner or later, one will be involved in a crash with you, your car or someone you love. Here is what to do, and what makes these crashes different from an ordinary fender-bender.
First, the basics
- Call 911. Get medical help and a police report, even if the robotaxi has no one inside to exchange information with.
- Photograph everything. The vehicle, its roof sensors, any company markings and number, the scene, the damage and your injuries.
- If you were a passenger, screenshot the trip in the Waymo app: time, route and vehicle.
- Get witness names. Robotaxi crashes draw a crowd. Take advantage of it.
- See a doctor within 14 days to protect your PIP benefits.
- Do not give a recorded statement to Waymo, its insurer or anyone else before talking to a lawyer.
Who do you even make a claim against?
With no driver, the claim runs against the company that operates the vehicle and, in some cases, the company that built it or wrote its software. Florida law lets fully autonomous vehicles operate without a human inside, and it requires at least $1 million in liability coverage when the vehicle is giving rides through a network (Fla. Stat. § 627.749). That is the starting point, not the ceiling.
Your own PIP coverage still pays first in most car crashes, up to $10,000, if you get treatment within 14 days. Serious injuries let you go beyond PIP and pursue the operator and any other at-fault party.
The evidence is inside the car
A Waymo records far more than a normal car: video from several cameras, lidar and radar data, and a log of every decision the system made in the seconds before impact. That data can prove the vehicle stopped short, failed to yield or misread a pedestrian. It can also be used to argue you were at fault. Either way, the company controls it. A lawyer can send a preservation demand right away so it is not lost or overwritten.
Common Waymo crash scenarios
- A robotaxi stops suddenly and causes a rear-end chain reaction
- Failure to yield to a pedestrian, cyclist or scooter in a crosswalk
- Confusion at construction zones, lane closures or a police officer directing traffic
- An unprotected left turn across oncoming traffic
- A human driver hits the robotaxi, and its passengers are hurt
Deadlines
Most negligence claims arising on or after March 24, 2023 must be filed within two years in Florida. Vehicle data may be gone much sooner. If you are found more than 50% at fault, you generally cannot recover, so expect the company to look hard for ways to shift blame. Call early.
What if the robotaxi was not the problem?
Many crashes involving self-driving cars are caused by human drivers nearby. Every vehicle’s role has to be examined. The good news is that the robotaxi’s own cameras often record exactly what the other driver did.
Redondo Law’s office is on Coral Way, minutes from the Waymo service area. Learn more on our self-driving car accident page, or call (305) 908-6778 any time.
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