Amy Witherite, founding attorney of Witherite Law Group and a leading advocate for Texas traffic safety, says Waymo’s new national TV campaign declaring its driverless vehicles “safer than a human” rings hollow next to a growing record of autonomous cars obstructing emergency responders including a Dallas deputy constable forced to negotiate with a stalled robotaxi near the scene of a fatal gas explosion.
Dallas County Precinct 5 Deputy Constable Jonathan Banda was working the scene of the May 28, 2025, gas explosion at an apartment complex that killed three people, injured five, and drew more than 100 firefighters when he encountered an empty Waymo vehicle stopped sideways in the roadway, potentially blocking fire engines and other first responders. “The vehicle was not moving and was blocking over half of the road,” Banda said. “I was hoping the car would move before other first responders arrived.”
“It was not easy,” Banda said. The door would not open with a standard handle, so he had to scan a QR code before the windows lowered and a remote Waymo representative spoke through the speakers. “I was not aware that Waymo provided any training for law enforcement or first responders,” he said. After telling the dispatcher it was an emergency, Banda said he had no idea how many questions would be asked before the door unlocked. “I had to shift my focus to the autonomous vehicle instead of keeping citizens away and safe from the scene.”
Asked what he would tell Waymo, Banda did not hold back: “What would happen to the vehicle if a first responder moved it themselves? How would it react after being moved? Why should a first responder have to correct the problems an autonomous vehicle is having during an emergency, no less?”
NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT
The Dallas incident is part of a pattern of Waymo vehicles blocking emergency responders including during a fatal mass shooting in Austin and a power outage in San Francisco for which the company has apologized and issued software updates.
“Waymo is spending millions this week to tell Americans its vehicles are safer than human drivers. But when Deputy Constable Banda asked a Waymo dispatcher to move a car blocking fire trucks racing to a deadly explosion, the first question wasn’t ‘Where do you need us to go?’ it was ‘What’s your name and badge number?’ You can’t run a national safety campaign and then interrogate a cop at a mass casualty scene.”
“Waymo’s ‘10 times safer’ claim comes from its own analysis of insurance liability data not independent crash outcomes and is not a peer-reviewed safety standard. Regulations are weak, and no penalty has been announced despite incident after incident. Our community deserve enforceable standards not talking points before these vehicles operate in more communities.”
— Amy Witherite, Founding Attorney, Witherite Law Group
Amy Witherite is available to discuss the legal and regulatory implications of Waymo’s emergency response record. Deputy Constable Jonathan Banda is available for interview through the Witherite Law Group media contact above.
About Witherite Law Group
Witherite Law Group is a Dallas-based personal injury firm focused on traffic safety, trucking accidents, and emerging transportation technology. Founding attorney Amy Witherite is a recognized advocate for victims of negligence on Texas roads and highways.
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