A Waymo Drove Through an Exploding Firework While Passengers Watched in Horror

A Fleet Overwhelmed, Not Just One Bad Moment

The firework wasn't an isolated glitch. Across San Francisco that night, other Waymo vehicles were reported blocking roadways as heavy holiday traffic backed up for hours, and some cars ran out of power and needed to be towed. Waymo said extreme congestion in Northern San Francisco "disrupted normal operations for several Waymo vehicles," and that its roadside team worked with local authorities to clear them from the area.

That combination — a car that didn't stop for a foreseeable hazard, on a night when the fleet was already struggling with basic traffic navigation — is what turns a viral clip into a genuine safety story.

Who's Actually Responsible When There's No Driver?

Nobody was hurt this time, but the incident raises a question more riders will face as robotaxis spread to more cities: who's liable when a self-driving car causes an injury? Unlike an Uber or Lyft, there's no human driver to name in a claim — Waymo owns, operates, and is arguably responsible for the vehicle's driving decisions itself, shifting a claim's structure toward the company and its technology rather than an individual behind the wheel.

Not the First Sign of Strain

This is at least the second high-visibility incident this year, raising questions about how Waymo's vehicles handle unpredictable, high-stakes moments — first stalled traffic during a citywide event, and now a vehicle that didn't stop for a lit firework directly in its path. Waymo currently operates roughly 577 registered driverless vehicles handling about 500,000 paid rides a week across 10 cities, so incidents like this one carry weight well beyond a single ride.

If You're a Passenger When Something Goes Wrong

The video itself is a useful reminder: footage like this is exactly the kind of evidence that matters if a robotaxi incident causes real injury rather than just a scare. If you're ever in a self-driving vehicle involved in a crash or a dangerous near-miss, get copies of any dashcam or passenger footage, note the time and location, and report it directly to the company. Those details are what separate a strong claim from a "he-said, she-said" one when there's no driver to interview.

If you've been injured — or a loved one was injured — in a crash involving a self-driving or driver-assisted vehicle, the independent attorneys we connect you with can help determine whether the company, the software, or another party is responsible.

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