Google sued for negligence after a man drove off a collapsed bridge while following map instructions

The family of a North Carolina man who died after driving off a collapsed bridge while following Google Maps instructions is suing the tech giant for negligence. Claimed to have been informed about the collapse. But the navigation system cannot be updated.

Philip Paxson, medical equipment salesman and father of two Paxson drowned on Sept. 30, 2022, after his Jeep Gladiator plunged into Snow Creek in Hickory, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in Wake County Superior Court. Paxson was driving home from his daughter's ninth birthday party. Passing through an unfamiliar neighborhood when Google Maps allegedly ordered him to cross a bridge that collapsed nine years ago and has never been repaired.

“Our girls asked how and why their father died. And I don't know what to say that they can understand. Because as an adult I still don't understand how the people responsible for the GPS directions and the bridge can do that. There was almost no regard for human life,” said his wife, Alicia Paxson.

State troopers who found Paxton's body in his overturned and partially submerged truck said there were no obstructions or warning signs. along the flooded road He drove off the unprotected edge and fell approximately 20 feet below, according to the lawsuit.

The North Carolina State Patrol said the bridge is not maintained by local or state officials. and the company of the original developer has dissolved. The lawsuit names several private property management companies that claim responsibility for the bridge and adjacent land.

Many people had informed Google Maps about the collapse in the years before Paxson's death and demanded that the company update their routing information, according to the lawsuit.

Tuesday's court filing included email records from another Hickory resident who had used the feature. It "suggested a fix" to the map in September 2020 to alert the company that it was directing drivers across a collapsed bridge. A November 2020 email confirmation from Google confirmed that the company had received her report. and is currently reviewing the recommended changes. But the lawsuit alleges that Google took no further action.

“We have our deepest sympathy for the Paxson family,” José Castañeda, a Google spokesman, told The Associated Press. “Our goal is to provide accurate directions in Maps, and we are investigating this case.”

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