Video shows a Waymo “Ojai” prototype robotaxi veering off the road, then crashing into multiple parked cars. The kicker is that there was a human behind the wheel.
The video was taken by a security camera on a narrow street off Vin Scully Avenue near Dodger Stadium in Echo Park, Calif. In the video, an out-of-control Waymo robotaxi veers off the road onto a grassy embankment and takes out a street sign. Then it slides back onto the road and crashes into multiple parked cars.
An eyewitness, Salvador Donantonio, told ABC 7 News, “When I turned my face that way, I saw the car coming straight, fast. He was hitting all the plants until he went up the hill, and my reaction was running, run!”
The robotaxi reportedly almost crashed into Donantonio’s mother. Thankfully, she was pushed out of the way by her son, Salvador, before the car hit her.
“You can see from the video – the Waymo lost control down the street, and it just happened to hit my mama’s car,” Jorge Donantonio told KTLA News. “My brother was able to push my mom out of the way before the car. Luckily, they’re okay.”
The Waymo “Ojai” prototype is a minivan-like vehicle built in collaboration with Chinese automaker Zeekr. It was unveiled at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
Waymo said the employee driving the robotaxi exited the vehicle on his own and was not injured, and that there were no passengers inside. Paramedics were called and checked on everyone involved at the scene.
“The gentleman — it was a Waymo engineering car — so they went over to check on him. He was okay,” Jorge Donantonio said. “They checked her out, too. She was okay — high blood pressure, little stuff like that — but totally fine.”
Donantonio said the damage to his mother’s car left her unable to drive it. Waymo did not say what caused the employee to lose control.
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Doug Sheckler is a Senior Editor at MotorBiscuit and BroBible. He began his professional career working for an auto racing sanctioning body, and subsequently founded his own racing series, which remains in operation today. He has since spent the better part of two decades creating, editing, and writing for a variety of websites.
These days, he has a special affinity for hypercars and other exotic vehicles that he will never own. He also enjoys delving into stories about the world of criminals, the more foolish and/or clever the better, and is always up for a good conspiracy theory. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Iowa.

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