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A routine self-driving Waymo ride for TikTok user Lucky Thurmans daughter in Los Angeles quickly turned into a scene straight out of a movie. It all started when a mysterious man was found hiding in the trunk of the self-driving car. And, clips of the bizarre encounter have gone viral, leaving viewers both shocked and baffled. Now, many are questioning just how safe these driverless rides really are.
Things got straight-up chaotic for a Los Angeles mom after she ordered a self-driving Waymo ride for her daughter only to find a stranger curled up in the trunk. In a viral TikTok clip, the daughter can be heard screaming, Why the f*ck are you in the trunk?! while the man, looking completely bewildered, replied, This st wont let me out They put me in here, leaving the girl behind the camera completely stunned.
The videos, posted by a TikTok user identified as Lucky Thurman, first went up on Tuesday. Furthermore, she followed up with another video on Wednesday, proving the encounter was real and not a skit. Additionally, its unclear how old Thurmans daughter is or whether shes a minor. But, viewers can see in the video that shes wearing a backpack, hinting she may be school-aged.
The situation escalated as the frantic passenger insisted he had been put there by the people. However, it’s unclear who he may have been referring to, given that the car had no human driver. A video shows that police eventually removed the rogue rider from the vehicle. Meanwhile, the mother remained on the phone with a Waymo representative, who promised a ride credit. Viewers immediately questioned how a fully autonomous vehicle could fail to detect someone hiding in the trunk. And best believe, this is raising serious concerns about Waymos safety protocols.
This latest incident is just the tip of the iceberg for Waymo, which has tested its driverless fleet in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City with mixed, and sometimes disastrous, results. From mowing down a bodega cat in San Francisco to chaotic rides during LA protests and illegal U-turns in New York, the robotaxi company has been struggling to maintain trust while navigating real-world obstacles. Waymo says its working to implement changes, but for now, many are left wondering: how safe is a ride with no human at the wheel?
