How do you get the video and sensor data from a robotaxi crash?

Does a robotaxi record crashes?

Yes. Texas requires a driverless vehicle used commercially to carry a recording device, as defined by Tex. Transp. Code § 547.615(a), installed by the manufacturer (Tex. Transp. Code § 545.455(b)(2)).

The company usually has far more. A robotaxi drives by watching the road through cameras and, depending on the company, other sensors such as lidar, and the company keeps logs of what its system saw and did. If you were a passenger, the ride app keeps its own trail of times, routes, and messages. Some crashes also involve a person driving remotely: according to TechCrunch and Electrek, at least three Tesla Robotaxi crashes involved remote operators, including an Austin barricade hit at about 9 mph in January 2026 and a Houston tree stump in May 2026. Those operators' records are evidence too.

Do I have a legal right to the robotaxi company's footage?

No, not on your own. No federal law gives a crash victim a right to an autonomous vehicle company's camera, lidar, or log data. Injured people get it through preservation demands and, when needed, discovery in a lawsuit.

The event data recorder, or EDR, has its own rule. The Driver Privacy Act of 2015 makes EDR data the property of the vehicle's owner, and anyone else can retrieve it only with the owner's consent, a court order, or under narrow exceptions. You almost certainly don't own the robotaxi, so expect to need a court order or the company's agreement.

How fast do I need to act?

Within days if you can. Recorded data can be overwritten or deleted in the ordinary course of business, and you have no way of knowing how long a given company keeps raw video or sensor logs. Don't assume it will still exist when you are ready.

Texas gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit, and two years from the date of death for wrongful death (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003). The evidence problem usually arrives well before that deadline.

Who should get the preservation letter?

Every company that might hold data about your crash.

Send it to	Why
The operator	It runs the service and must hold TxDMV authorization (§ 545.456). When the automated system is engaged, Texas law treats that system as the operator of the vehicle (§ 545.454(a)).
The manufacturer	If a different company built the vehicle or its driving system, it may hold engineering and software data.
Uber, if you booked through Uber	Waymo's Austin rides have been booked through the Uber app since March 2025. Avride has run Dallas rides on Uber with a safety operator since December 2025, according to published reports.
The other driver's insurer	If a human-driven car was involved, ask that the car and any dashcam video be kept.

That last row matters. Many reported Tesla Robotaxi crashes involved another driver striking the Tesla, and the robotaxi's video may be the clearest record of what that driver did. Our article on who is liable when a self-driving car crashes in Texas explains how fault gets assigned.

What should a robotaxi preservation letter ask for?

Specific categories, tied to the date, time, place, and vehicle. Identify the crash first (vehicle number, ride ID if you were a passenger, police report number), then demand that the company keep:

1. All camera video from the vehicle, from well before the crash until well after it.
2. Lidar, radar, and other sensor data, raw and processed, for whatever sensors the vehicle has.
3. Driving-system logs: speed, braking, steering, objects detected, and maneuvers planned.
4. The recording device data required by § 545.455(b)(2) and any EDR data.
5. Remote operator records: who was connected, what commands were sent, and any audio or messages.
6. Rider app records: the trip request, route, timestamps, in-app messages, and incident reports.
7. Internal reports about the crash, including what was filed with NHTSA, unredacted.
8. The software and map versions running at the time, and any software recall affecting the vehicle.
9. Maintenance and sensor calibration records.
10. The vehicle itself, with notice before it is repaired, sold, or scrapped.
11. A hold on any automatic deletion that would reach items 1 through 10.

Send it with proof of delivery.

What happens if the company destroys the evidence?

In Texas, the trial judge, not the jury, decides whether a party improperly destroyed evidence and what the remedy should be. A spoliation instruction to the jury generally requires intentional destruction, with a narrow exception for negligent destruction that irreparably deprives the other side of a meaningful ability to present its case. The Texas Supreme Court set out that framework in Brookshire Bros. v. Aldridge, 438 S.W.3d 9 (Tex. 2014).

That standard is why the letter matters. A written demand puts the company on notice that the evidence matters to a possible claim.

Can I see what the company reported to NHTSA?

Partly. Under NHTSA's Standing General Order 2021-01 (Third Amended, effective June 16, 2025), driverless operators must report crashes involving a fatality, a hospital-treated injury, a struck pedestrian or other vulnerable road user, an airbag deployment, or a tow-away within 5 calendar days. Other qualifying crashes are due by the 15th of the following month. The public data is partly redacted.

These reports are a public check on the company's story, and they can change. One Tesla Robotaxi crash from July 2025 was first reported as property damage only; in December 2025 Tesla updated it to "Minor W/ Hospitalization." Tesla also fully redacted its crash narratives as confidential business information until May 2026.

A report is not a finding of fault. The only Texas fatality in NHTSA's robotaxi crash database since June 2025 happened in Dallas in August 2026, when an SUV struck a pedestrian who was thrown into an unoccupied Waymo; police announced no arrests or charges, and the investigation was ongoing. See our articles on Tesla Robotaxi crashes and suing Waymo after a crash for more.

What evidence can I save myself?

Plenty, and most of it is on your phone. Photograph the robotaxi's vehicle number and markings, the damage, the road, and your injuries as they change. If you have a dashcam, copy the clip off the card right away, before it is recorded over. Screenshot the ride in the app, save the receipt, and get witnesses' names and numbers.

Report the crash through the company's app. TxDMV also opened a public complaint process for driverless vehicles on June 2, 2026. Keep every medical record and bill. Our article on what to do after a robotaxi crash covers the next steps.

Sources

• San Antonio Express-News via GovTech, September 16, 2026: the August 2026 Dallas fatality and Texas crash reporting.
• NHTSA, Standing General Order 2021-01 (Third Amended, effective June 16, 2025): crash reporting deadlines.
• Electrek, February 17, 2026: the updated severity on the July 2025 Tesla crash.
• Electrek, May 15, 2026: Tesla un-redacting its crash narratives.
• Electrek, July 20, 2026: remote-operator crashes.
• TechCrunch, May 15, 2026: remote-operator crashes.
• NBC DFW, August 8, 2026: the Dallas fatality.
• Federal statute: Driver Privacy Act of 2015.
• Texas statutes: Tex. Transp. Code §§ 545.454, 545.455, 545.456, 547.615; Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003.
• Texas spoliation standard: Brookshire Bros. v. Aldridge, 438 S.W.3d 9 (Tex. 2014).

Working with GB Law

Gianna Scatchell Basile is licensed to practice law in Illinois. GB Law does not represent clients in Texas or Florida. If you were hurt in a crash outside Illinois, we can help you find a lawyer licensed where it happened. If we refer your matter to another firm or work on it with one, we will tell you who that lawyer is and how any fee is divided before you sign anything, and you must agree to it in writing.

Questions people ask

How do I get Waymo camera footage after a crash?

Start with a written preservation demand to Waymo, and to Uber if you booked an Austin ride through the Uber app. No federal law requires Waymo to hand footage to you directly. If Waymo does not share it voluntarily, it is obtained through discovery in a lawsuit. The first letter's job is to make sure the footage still exists.

Can I request Tesla Robotaxi crash data on my own?

You can ask, but no federal law obligates Tesla to give you its camera or log data. You can read Tesla's crash reports to NHTSA, which have included its written crash narratives since Tesla un-redacted them in May 2026. The underlying video and logs generally require a preservation demand followed by discovery.

Is the robotaxi's event data recorder the same as its camera video?

No. They are separate sources, and the law treats them differently. The Driver Privacy Act of 2015 makes EDR data the owner's property, available to others only with consent, a court order, or narrow exceptions. Camera, lidar, and log data have no federal access right at all. A good preservation letter names both.

Does sending a preservation letter mean I am suing?

No. A preservation letter asks the company to keep evidence and puts it on notice that a claim may follow. It does not start a lawsuit or commit you to filing one. It protects your options while you get medical care and decide what to do next.

What if a human driver caused the crash, not the robotaxi?

Then the robotaxi's data may be the clearest proof of what that driver did. Many reported Tesla Robotaxi crashes involved another driver striking the Tesla, and in the August 2026 Dallas fatality, an SUV struck the pedestrian before the Waymo was involved. Send preservation demands to the robotaxi company and the other driver's insurer.