Waymo Testing in Pennsylvania: Who Would Be Liable in an Accident?

Waymo has been mapping and testing driverless vehicles on Philadelphia streets since August 2025. But if a Waymo accident occurs in Philadelphia and is caused by one of these cars, who actually pays for it?

Pennsylvania negligence law still applies, but a 2022 law, Act 130, adds a layer that determines who counts as "the driver" when no one is sitting behind the wheel.

At Kwartler Manus, our trial-ready attorneys have spent years forcing insurance companies to move rather than stall, and we're already prepared to request and analyze the sensor data that makes a Waymo accident claim different from an ordinary car accident.

What Happens if a Waymo Hits You in Philadelphia?

A crash involving a Waymo triggers the same basic obligations as any other Philadelphia car accident, plus a few rules specific to autonomous vehicles. Pennsylvania's automated vehicle law requires that a crash be reported to police and PennDOT within a set window, and that the vehicle or its operating company contact authorities immediately after impact, according to PennDOT's official Act 130 guidance.

If you're ever involved in a crash with a Waymo vehicle in Philadelphia, a few steps protect your claim from the start:

Call 911 and request police response, since AV crash reporting is mandatory under state law
Photograph the vehicle, the scene, and any visible damage before anything is moved
Ask for the name of the certificate-holding company and any on-scene safety specialist
Get medical attention promptly, even if your injuries seem minor at first
Avoid discussing fault with anyone representing the company before speaking with an attorney

Waymo vehicles constantly record sensor and camera data, so much of the evidence in these cases sits inside company servers rather than a human driver's memory. That data can help or hurt a claim, which is why documenting the scene independently matters as much here as it does in a crash between two human drivers.

Who Is Liable in a Waymo Autonomous Vehicle Accident?

Liability in a Waymo crash starts with the same standard that governs every Pennsylvania car accident: negligence. A party is negligent when it fails to exercise reasonable care, and that failure causes injury. What changes with a driverless vehicle is who that party might be.

Under Act 130, Pennsylvania's law governing highly automated vehicles, the certificate holder (the company authorized to operate the vehicle) "shall be considered the driver...for the purpose of assessing compliance" with the state's vehicle code, according to PennDOT's Act 130 Q&A.

In practice, that means Waymo itself generally assumes the role of the driver when its vehicles operate without a person controlling them.

However, depending on the facts of a Philadelphia AV crash, responsibility could also fall on:

Another driver whose actions caused or contributed to the collision
The vehicle or sensor manufacturer, if a product defect played a role
The City of Philadelphia or PennDOT, if a dangerous road condition or malfunctioning signal contributed to the crash

More than one party can share responsibility, and identifying every liable party is often the difference between a partial recovery and full compensation.

Pennsylvania Autonomous Vehicle Laws and Insurance Requirements

Act 130 lets an eligible company operate autonomous vehicles on Pennsylvania roads once PennDOT issues a certificate of compliance. The application requires the company to submit contact information, an insurance plan, and a safety management plan, per PennDOT's official summary. PennDOT has 30 days to review an application, and approval occurs automatically if the agency doesn't reject it within that period.

Pennsylvania's standard financial responsibility law sets the insurance floor most drivers carry, according to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department:

$15,000/$30,000 in bodily injury coverage
$5,000 in property damage coverage
$5,000 in first-party medical benefits

Autonomous vehicle operators must show PennDOT proof of insurance as part of certification, and a company operating at Waymo's scale generally carries commercial coverage well above those baseline state's baseline minimums.

How Fault Is Determined in Philadelphia AV Crashes

Fault in a Philadelphia AV crash is determined the same way it does in any Pennsylvania car accident: through the state's modified comparative negligence rule.

Under 42 Pa.C.S. § 7102, an injured person can recover damages as long as they weren't more than 50% responsible for the accident, though their award gets reduced by their own share of fault. A person found 51% or more at fault recovers nothing.

Investigators piecing together the fault in a Waymo crash rely on several sources of evidence:

Police reports and official crash documentation
Witness statements and traffic camera footage
Vehicle telemetry showing speed, braking, and steering input
Sensor data showing what the vehicle detected in the moments before impact

That combination functions much like a commercial truck's black box and often answers the central question in these claims: Did the vehicle react as a reasonably careful driver would have?

Key Evidence to Collect After a Waymo Accident

Evidence tied to a vehicle's automated systems can be difficult to obtain without a formal request or, in some cases, a subpoena.

That's one reason getting an attorney involved early matters so much in these claims; they can help you collect or request the following information:

The official police report and any PennDOT crash filing
Vehicle telemetry and sensor data from the automated driving system
Dashcam or bystander cellphone video of the crash
Contact information for every witness at the scene
Complete medical records documenting your injuries and treatment
Any incident report the company generates internally

Get Help With Your Waymo Accident Claim from Pennsylvania’s Most Trusted Injury Lawyers

Kwartler Manus built its reputation on moving faster than the insurance companies it goes up against, with more than 250 jury trials and 2,500 cases handled across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As autonomous vehicles become part of daily traffic on Philadelphia streets, our attorneys are prepared to request and analyze the telemetry data required for a Waymo accident claim, just as we've long used technology to move client cases forward faster than the defense expects.

If a Waymo vehicle caused your accident in Philadelphia, call Kwartler Manus at (267) 457-5570 for a free case review. Our trial-ready team starts building your claim from day one, not after the insurance company has already gotten ahead of the evidence.

FAQs

Is Waymo currently being tested in Philadelphia?

Yes. Waymo has been testing autonomous vehicles on Philadelphia streets since August 2025, with a trained safety specialist riding along, according to reporting from FOX 29 Philadelphia. The company still hasn't announced a commercial launch date. Philadelphia's two marquee 2026 events, the FIFA World Cup and the MLB All-Star Game on July 14, have already come and gone, and Waymo was still testing with a safety specialist on board as of early August 2026, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Do I need a car accident lawyer if a self-driving car caused my accident in Philadelphia?

Hiring a lawyer is strongly recommended. A Waymo claim involves a corporate insurance policy, proprietary sensor data, and a company that answers to PennDOT rather than a single driver answering to you. An attorney can request the vehicle's telemetry data, identify all potentially liable parties, and handle communications with the company, so you're not negotiating alone against a well-resourced defense team.

How long do I have to file a car accident claim against Waymo in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania law generally gives injured people two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524. Missing that deadline typically bars the claim entirely, so it's worth talking to an attorney well before the two-year mark, especially in AV cases where sensor data can get harder to obtain the longer you wait.

What if I was partly at fault in a crash involving a Waymo?

You may still recover damages. Pennsylvania's modified comparative negligence rule allows recovery as long as you weren't more than 50% at fault for the crash, though your award is reduced by your share of responsibility, per 42 Pa.C.S. § 7102.

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Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every accident is different, and how liability plays out in a Waymo or other autonomous vehicle crash depends on the specific facts involved. Talk to an attorney about your own situation before relying on anything here.

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