Self-driving Tesla hits and kills 71-year-old pedestrian on California freeway

Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times on Oct 22, 2026

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A 71-year-old man was killed early Thursday morning after a self-driving Tesla struck him as he was crossing Interstate 80 in Vallejo, the California Highway Patrol said.

Officers responded to a report of a crash on the westbound freeway around 2:35 a.m. Thursday, CHP said. When emergency responders arrived, they found the man's injuries had been fatal.

The Tesla driver, a 26-year-old man from San Francisco, told authorities the vehicle had been operating in full self-driving autonomous mode at the time of the crash, CHP said.

The driver "was cooperative and remained on scene," CHP said, and provided officers with footage of the crash captured on the Tesla's dashboard camera.

CHP said its preliminary review of the video shows the Tesla traveling in the second lane at about 70 mph, when the man walked into the freeway from its right shoulder. He began crossing freeway lanes toward the center divide, stepping directly into the Tesla's path. The video captures the brakes being applied and the car veering left to attempt to swerve around the pedestrian, CHP said.

"Despite these evasive actions, the right front portion of the Tesla struck the individual," CHP said.

CHP said that it appears the pedestrian was hit by a second vehicle while lying in the middle of traffic lanes. However, no other cars involved stopped, and CHP said it doesn't know the identities of the other drivers.

The CHP office in Solano is actively investigating the crash and is encouraging witnesses or those who have information about other vehicles involved to contact the office.