Uber Fatal Crash: Tempe Police Release Dashcam Video Of Incident

TEMPE, AZ – The 22-second video is not an easy watch. It shows the moments leading up to the fatal crash in which a self-driving Uber struck and killed a pedestrian on Sunday.

The Tempe Police Department released the video Wednesday afternoon.

It shows the incident from two angles. The first is from the car looking ahead. Elaine Herzberg, the 49-year-old woman from Mesa who was killed, can be seen walking her bicycle across Mill Avenue by Curry Road.

She is not in the crosswalk and well into the street as the car approaches. That part of the video cuts off right as she gets hit but you don't see the actual collision.

The other angle is a camera focused on the "driver" – 44-year-old Rafaela Vasquez. While the car was in "self-driving" mode, it had a person to be a backup.

Vasquez can be seen looking around, not really focused on the road until the end of the clip when Vazquez's face has an expression of horror.

While Tempe police and the National Transportation Safety Boar both continue their investigations, some facts have been ascertained, most notably that the Uber SUV appeared to be going about 40 mph when the crash occurred.

It did not appear to be slowing down.

While Tempe PD's Vehicular Crime Unit continues their part of the investigation, a four-member team from the NTSB is examining "vehicle factors, human performance and electronic recorders."

Uber is cooperating with police to figure out what went wrong.

"Our hearts go out to the victim's family," Uber said in a statement. "We're fully cooperating with Tempe Police and local authorities as they investigate this incident."

It is the first known instance of one of Uber's driverless cars striking a pedestrian. The company also has the vehicles operating in several other cities including San Francisco and Pittsburgh.

Uber added that they are suspending the use of all self-driving cars while the investigation is underway.

The company started testing the cars in Arizona in February 2017. The following month, one was involved in a crash. It was determined the self-driving car was not at fault.

Another car had failed to yield.

Meanwhile, Uber could face criminal charges in the crash Sunday in which one of its cars killed a pedestrian. Governor Ducey signed an executive order that went into effect on March 1 stating that corporations can be treated as "person" subject to the laws of the state.

The decision on whether or not to bring charges ill be made by the Maricopa County Attorney.

Ducey's move was in response to criticism that he had been too lenient in his approach to attracting companies looking to test self-driving cars in the state. In addition to Uber, Google, Intel, and other companies have set up shop in Arizona because of the favorable weather conditions.

WATCH THE VIDEO (NOT FOR SQUEAMISH)

Photos of the crash from video provided by Uber and released by Tempe PD.

Photo of NTSB investigators examining the car from the fatal crash via the NTSB.