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S5 fatal or catastrophic incidents

58 documented incidents where severity is S5 fatal or catastrophic, across 33 companies, 1981-2026. Every row cites its source; severity runs S1 (near miss) to S5 (fatal or catastrophic).

58Unique incidents
33Companies involved
S5Highest severity
93%Verified
19%From regulators
1981-2026Years covered

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Incident list

SevDateCompanyTypeLocationIncidentSource
S5~Aug 2026Waymo fatality Dallas, TX, USAPedestrian killed by SUV thrown into stationary Waymo in Dallas · 1 fatality (secondary contact) FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth
S528 Jul 2026Dreame Technology regulatory USAFCC bars new foreign-made robot vacuums, including Dreame, from equipment authorization over national-security concerns Consumer Reports / Masha
S513 Jul 2026SharkNinja cyber Shark robot vacuum flaw allows remote code execution via stolen certificate Tom's Hardware / Cyberne
S520 Jun 2026Tesla fatality Katy, TX, USATesla crashes into Texas home, killing woman inside; Autopilot engagement disputed Fortune
S508 May 2026Unattributed (South Korea) fatality Haman, Gyeongnam, South KoreaWorker killed after being struck by descending robot believed stopped, Haman auto parts factory 세이프티퍼스트닷뉴스
S5~May 2026Johnson & Johnson (Abiomed) malfunction USAFDA warns on J&J Abiomed Automated Impella Controllers after death linked to software error MassDevice
S508 Apr 2026Unattributed (South Korea) fatality Haman, Gyeongnam, South KoreaWorker entangled and killed by machinery at Haman auto parts factory 에너지안전신문
S511 Mar 2026Intuitive Surgical recall Class I recall of da Vinci SureForm stapler reloads after patient death · 1 death, 4 serious injuries; recall of affected lot to customers who ordered on/before Feb 20, 2026 FDA
S511 Dec 2025Terra Drone regulatory Jakarta, IndonesiaTerra Drone CEO Arrested, Named Suspect in Jakarta Office Fire That Killed 22 · 22 fatalities Jakarta Globe
S509 Dec 2025Terra Drone fire Jakarta office, IndonesiaSuspected Battery Fire at Terra Drone Indonesia Kills 22 · 22 fatalities sUAS News
S525 Oct 2025Grifols (Kiro) fatality Winnipeg, Manitoba, CanadaPlasma-collection machine issued alerts before Winnipeg donor's fatal cardiac arrest Winnipeg Free Press
S513 Oct 2025Xiaomi fatality Chengdu, ChinaFatal Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Crash in Chengdu Linked to Automated Driving and Door Lock Failure · 1 vehicle, 1 fatality Bloomberg
S513 Oct 2025Xiaomi fire Chengdu, ChinaFatal Xiaomi SU7 Ultra fire after crash in Chengdu raises questions over self-driving feature South China Morning Post
S506 Oct 2025Tesla fatality Seminole County, FL, USATesla driver killed after Autopilot/FSD stopped car in live highway lane, rear-ended by semi futurism.com
S517 Sep 2025Palermo's Pizza fatality Milwaukee, WI, USAWorker killed by robotic machine at Milwaukee pizza plant · 1 fatality WISN / Fox News
S514 Sep 2025Waymo fatality USAWaymo robotaxi involved in motorcyclist fatality, reportedly not at fault Forbes
S527 Jul 2025LG Energy Solution fatality Holland, MI, USAWorker killed in accident at LG Energy Solution plant in Holland, Michigan MLive
S510 Apr 2025MBTA regulatory Boston, MA, USAMBTA pays $5M settlement over Red Line door-dragging death · 1 fatality / systemwide door-safety scrutiny Boston Herald / WBUR
S5~Apr 2025Stellantis fatality Detroit, MI, USAStellantis mechanic killed after bypass key defeated robot safety system Yahoo/OSHA reporting
S529 Mar 2025Xiaomi fatality ChinaFiery Xiaomi SU7 crash kills three TechNode
S529 Mar 2025Xiaomi fatality Anhui Province, ChinaXiaomi SU7 on NOA (automated driving) collides with highway barrier, kills three · 3 fatalities CarNewsChina
S5~Mar 2025Calyxo malfunction USACalyxo discloses patient death linked to aspiration system used in robotic-assisted procedure MassDevice
S520 Jan 2025Waymo crash San Francisco, CA, USAWhile Waymo not blamed in multi-car wreck, it's the first fatal collision involving a driverless car NBC Bay Area
S5~Jan 2025Unattributed (South Korea) fatality Jinju, South KoreaWorker in his 50s killed by robot arm at Jinju auto parts factory 중앙일보
S518 Oct 2024Tesla fatality USAUS probes Tesla Full Self-Driving system after pedestrian killed NPR
S518 Oct 2024Tesla regulatory USANHTSA investigates Tesla Full Self-Driving after crashes including a fatality Green Car Reports
S5~Sep 2024Geek+ fatality Ravenhall, Victoria, AustraliaWorker fatally crushed by Geek+ automated robot at Myer Ravenhall distribution centre; WorkSafe Victoria charges Myer and GeekPlus Australia · 1 fatality WorkSafe Victoria
S5~Aug 2024Dearborn Mid-West fatality Jeep plant worker crushed to death by conveyor system lacking pinch-point guarding · 1 worker Detroit News
S522 May 2024Unattributed (South Korea) fatality Cheonan, South Chungcheong, South KoreaForeign worker killed by industrial robot during coating operation at Cheonan auto parts factory 세이프티퍼스트닷뉴스
S519 Apr 2024Tesla fatality Maltby, WA, USATesla in Full Self-Driving mode killed Seattle-area motorcyclist Reuters
S519 Apr 2024Tesla fatality Snohomish County, WA, USAFatal FSD crash kills motorcyclist, Snohomish County WA · 1 fatality Wikipedia
S5~Apr 2024Katcon fatality Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, MexicoWorker killed by industrial robot at Santa Catarina plant · 1 worker killed MILENIO / N+ / Proceso
S503 Mar 2024Ford fatality Philadelphia, PA, USAFord Mustang Mach-E on BlueCruise fatally crashes into parked cars in Philadelphia · 2 fatalities NTSB
S524 Feb 2024Ford fatality San Antonio, TX, USAFord Mustang Mach-E on BlueCruise crashes into Honda in San Antonio, kills occupant NTSB
S5~Feb 2024Robot Palletizer (Dallas) fatality Carthage, MO, USAMachine operator crushed to death by palletizer at Schreiber Foods, Carthage MO · 1 fatality, 1 palletizer OSHA
S5~Feb 2024Ford fatality TX, USAFatal Texas crash involved Ford's auto driving system The Guardian
S5~Nov 2023Tesla fatality AZ, USATesla on Full Self-Driving kills pedestrian on Arizona interstate Carscoops
S518 Feb 2023Tesla fatality CA, USACalifornia family blames Musk for son's death in Tesla Autopilot crash The Independent
S516 May 2022Tesla fatality CO, USATesla Autopilot drove car into tree, killing Colorado man The Denver Post
S510 Apr 2022MBTA fatality Boston, MA, USARed Line rider dragged to death after door-control-system short circuit · 1 train / 1 fatality WCVB
S5~Dec 2021Nordco (Wabtec) fatality Norfolk Southern rail line near Reed, PA, USARoadway worker killed by Nordco spike machine with non-functional alarm · 1 fatality, 1 machine NTSB
S5~Mar 2020Progress Rail (Caterpillar) fatality McCook, IL, USAContractor killed by machine part at Progress Rail's McCook, IL plant · 1 fatality Patch
S525 Apr 2019Tesla fatality FL, USAFatal Autopilot crash (2019 Key Largo crash) - Tesla later hit with $243M jury verdict NBC News
S523 Mar 2018Tesla fatality Mountain View, CA, USAAutopilot fatality of Apple engineer Walter Huang, Mountain View, California · 1 fatality NTSB
S518 Dec 2017Amtrak fatality DuPont, WA, USACascades train 501 DuPont, WA derailment - Positive Train Control not yet activated · 1 train (multiple cars) / 3 fatalities, ~70 injured NWPB
S5~Dec 2016Schiebel fatality South KoreaSchiebel S-100 crash kills engineer in South Korea · 1 fatality suasnews.com
S509 Aug 2016Dematic fatality Brampton, ON, CanadaWorker killed pinned by mobile work platform during Dematic conveyor installation · 1 fatality, 1 site Manufacturing AUTOMATION
S507 May 2016Tesla fatality Williston, FL, USAFirst US Autopilot fatality: Joshua Brown, Williston, Florida · 1 fatality NTSB
S507 Jul 2015Nachi-Fujikoshi fatality Wanda Holbrook killed by robot at Ventra Ionia Mainstamping plant · 1 fatality Manufacturing.net
S507 Jul 2015FANUC fatality Ionia, MI, USAMaintenance technician crushed to death by robot at Ventra Ionia auto-parts plant · 1 fatality Manufacturing.net
S501 Dec 2013Metro-North fatality Bronx, NY, USASpuyten Duyvil derailment - no PTC/alerter to catch engineer error · 1 train / 4 fatalities, ~70 injured The New York Times
S519 Oct 2013BART fatality Near Walnut Creek, CA, USATrain in automatic mode kills two track workers near Walnut Creek · 1 train / 2 fatalities NTSB
S519 Oct 2013BART regulatory NTSB urgent recommendation for redundant train-worker protection after BART deaths · systemwide recommendation CBS News San Francisco
S522 Jun 2009WMATA fatality Washington, DC, USAFort Totten Red Line collision (ATC track circuit failure) · 2 trains / 1 fatal collision NTSB
S522 Jun 2009Alstom Signaling Inc. fatality Washington, DC, USAFort Totten crash traced to failed GRS/Alstom Signaling track circuit module · 1 failed track circuit module / systemwide ATC design NTSB
S5~Jun 2009WMATA regulatory WMATA suspends Automatic Train Operation systemwide after Fort Totten crash · fleet-wide, ~15 years Railway Age
S504 Jul 1981Kawasaki Robotics fatality Kawasaki Heavy Industries plant, Akashi, JapanKenji Urada killed by Kawasaki-built robot at Akashi plant (landmark robot fatality) · 1 fatality Wikipedia
S5not documentedCrown Equipment fatality Brown v. Crown Equipment Corp. - fatal forklift accident lawsuit · single unit ForensisGroup

Companies involved

Tesla 12Unattributed (South Korea) 4Xiaomi 4Waymo 3Ford 3Terra Drone 2MBTA 2BART 2WMATA 2Dreame Technology 1SharkNinja 1Johnson & Johnson (Abiomed) 1Intuitive Surgical 1Grifols (Kiro) 1Palermo's Pizza 1LG Energy Solution 1Stellantis 1Calyxo 1Geek+ 1Dearborn Mid-West 1Katcon 1Robot Palletizer (Dallas) 1Nordco (Wabtec) 1Progress Rail (Caterpillar) 1Amtrak 1Schiebel 1Dematic 1Nachi-Fujikoshi 1FANUC 1Metro-North 1Alstom Signaling Inc. 1Kawasaki Robotics 1Crown Equipment 1

More S5 fatal or catastrophic views

fatality (45)Other (20)2025 (16)AV trucking (15)2024 (12)Tesla (12)
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