An Arizona man says he spent 10 days calling Waymo, filling out forms, and emailing the company’s insurance department after a passenger in one of its self-driving vehicles opened a door into his car. He also says he got nowhere until he went public. Patrick Harral (@fartywallace) recently posted his first TikTok videos describing his experience. As of this writing, together they have drawn more than 51,800 views. “I’ve never made a TikTok before, but desperate times call for desperate measures,” he says in the first video. What Happened With The Waymo? Harral says the Waymo was parked in a non-parking area when a young passenger (roughly 10 years old according to his later comments) opened the back door into his car as he was trying to get around the vehicle, shredding the side of it. He says the Waymo’s onboard system then “abruptly told the people involved in the vehicle, like in the Waymo, to get out of the situation. Like, get out of the car and leave.” As a result, he says he was unable to get any contact information from the passengers involved. Harral acknowledged in the comments that he did not file a police report at the time of the accident. “It happened fast, I was flustered and very angry. And in a hurry,” he said. “They Don’t Have Anything Saved” In a follow-up video, Harral describes a claims process he calls “a total grift.” He says Waymo gave him a case number after he filed a report through a Google form and emailed its insurance department. However, each time he called, he says staff could not pull up his information. “I’m giving my case number to these people and they don’t have any information saved on me,” he says. “Their insurance department can’t give me any sort of definitive day or time when they’re going to get in touch with me.” Filing a claim against an autonomous vehicle company can be significantly more complex than a standard auto insurance claim. Unlike a conventional accident, there is no other driver to exchange information with. While Waymo is legally the operator of its vehicles, its parent company, Alphabet, fields claims through its own insurance infrastructure rather than a traditional carrier. Legal experts say that without an attorney, it can be difficult to get Waymo to share sensor data for accident investigations. Should He Just File With His Insurance Company? Commenters on both videos overwhelmingly encouraged Harral to stop contacting Waymo and let his own insurance company handle it. “File a claim with your own insurance company,” taco monster commented on the second video. “As long as you have collision coverage, they will cover the loss and then go after Waymo to recover the damages. If Waymo takes full responsibility and pays out 100% for the damages, you will get your deductible refunded and it won’t count negatively against your insurance premiums.” Harral was resistant to this idea. “That would require me to file a claim with my insurance,” he replied to one commenter. Asked repeatedly why he wasn’t letting his insurer handle it, he responded: “I’m a natural born fighter.” One commenter, VestrPhotos, defended Harral’s approach. “Why would he? Waymo is owned by Google and they can easily pay whatever it cost, whereas if he calls his insurance, he will have to pay for the deductible,” he wrote. Others suggested an even more aggressive approach. “Get a lawyer. Do not talk to them,” Matt Whitmire235 urged. Zombie Panda warned Harral against giving Waymo repeated statements. “They could be just looking for inconsistencies in what you’re reporting to claim insurance fraud,” they posted. It Worked—Sort Of The TikToks appear to have gotten Waymo’s attention. In a reply to a commenter, Harral wrote that the company had finally reached out. “They called me today apologizing and begged me not to post more videos,” he wrote. He was not alone in his frustrations. Marshayla alleged she was involved in an accident as a passenger in a Waymo on Mother’s Day last year and still had not heard back. “[Expletive] worst Mother’s Day ever,” she wrote. Motor1 reached out to Harral via TikTok direct message and Waymo via email for additional comment. We’ll be sure to update this if either responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team