I think the discussion as this moves forward will be interesting. Did the cite the Uber driver? Do they cite the company? They might argue that it was her fault, but at the end of the day it is a driverless (and inattentive standby driver) car that ran over a little old lady.
Yes. It is my understanding that even if someone is at fault (let's say the lady walking the bike was jaywalking), it is incumbent upon the driver to avoid hitting her if it is possible to do so. A human driver would probably have slammed on the brakes.
I knew someone who was ticketed after she was hit by a car that ran a red light. The office asked her if she checked to see if the intersection was clear before going through, and she foolishly (or truthfully) answered "no". The cop explained that it is still her responsibility to be sure that no one is coming, even though she had the right of way.
It takes from 145' to 195', nearly half, to two thirds, of a football field, to stop from 45 MPH. The story I read said the vehicle was northbound, on Mill Road, near Curry Road in Tempe, and the speed limit along there is 45 MPH.
Could you get it done if someone rolled or stepped out in front of you? Could you do it at night?
We know nothing except there was an accident and death, and that there is a damaged bike, and an Uber vehicle with damage to the right front corner.