Arizona woman sues after suffering serious injuries from food delivery robot attack - New York Post

What the report says

The New York Post reported that Trudy Perez, an Arizona woman who was 73 at the time of the incident, has filed a lawsuit against Starship Technologies after she was allegedly struck by one of the company’s food delivery robots. The incident took place in 2023 while Perez was working as a parking attendant at an Arizona State University parking garage in Tempe, according to the report.

The suit alleges the robot was moving ahead of Perez before it abruptly backed into her, knocking her down, and then reversed again while she was on the ground. The Post, citing an ASU police report, said Perez appeared to be in pain and had a four-inch cut on her left arm. Her claimed injuries include a spinal fracture, and her attorneys at Vrana Law Firm told 12News that she has experienced “lifelong impairment.” The case is reportedly scheduled for a jury trial early next year.

The Post said it contacted Starship Technologies for comment. The article did not include a response from the company or a court finding on liability. An attorney not involved in the case, Josh Kolsrud, told 12News that Arizona rules require delivery robots to be insured and monitored remotely by a human operator, including insurance coverage of at least $100,000 per robot.

The lawsuit highlights emerging safety and legal questions around autonomous sidewalk and campus delivery devices, which are increasingly used in controlled environments such as universities. Based on the publisher’s account, the central dispute is whether the robot was properly operated and monitored, and whether Starship can be held responsible for Perez’s alleged injuries.