An Arizona State University parking attendant is taking Starship Technologies to court after a food-delivery robot allegedly knocked her down and hit her multiple times inside a Tempe parking garage in September 2023. The lawsuit, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, seeks damages for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, and is currently set for a jury trial in February.
According to the ASU police report, the run-in happened on Sept. 22, 2023, at Parking Structure 1 on Lemon Street. Investigators identified the victim as 73-year-old parking and transit field service specialist Trudy Perez and described a white Starship food-delivery robot reversing into her and knocking her to the ground. First responders noted an approximately 4-inch laceration near her left elbow, complaints of back pain, and difficulty walking, and they documented that CCTV footage had been preserved on evidence.com.
The lawsuit accuses Starship Technologies of negligence and product liability, alleging the robot was still in testing, defective, and under the watch of a Starship employee who failed to properly control it, according to KJZZ. The complaint seeks medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages. In court filings reviewed by KJZZ, Starship argues that Perez’s injuries stemmed from her own negligence, preexisting conditions, and a third party. The company has declined to comment on the ongoing litigation, and attorneys for the plaintiff did not respond to interview requests…