A North Carolina woman is suing Google after her husband died last year when he drove off a collapsed bridge while following GPS directions, according to multiple reports.
Philip Paxson, a father of two, died after he drove off an “unmarked, unbarricaded collapsed bridge” on Sept. 30, 2022, in Hickory, North Carolina, according to NBC News. His widow, Alicia Paxson, filed the lawsuit this week. Paxson did not know the bridge had collapsed and was following directions from Google, which did not indicate that the bridge was down (via NBC News):
The suit says that a woman had told Google that the bridge was out. That person in 2020 used a "suggest an edit" feature twice and was told in an emailed response that the matter was under review, the lawsuit alleges.
A North Carolina woman is suing Google after her husband died after driving off a collapsed bridge while following GPS directions, according to a lawsuit filed this week. https://t.co/8Y5YugvPK0
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 21, 2023
The lawsuit reportedly alleges negligence and seeks a jury trial. It does not name a damage amount. The lawsuit names Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and three people who own or control the land where the bridge is located.
The Snow Creek Bridge collapsed in 2013 and was never repaired. In addition, there were no signs, barriers, or anything along the roadway informing drivers that the bridge was impassable. Paxson was the only person in his vehicle, a Jeep Gladiator, when he drove off the bridge and was killed after his daughter's birthday party (via NBC News):
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The Paxsons lived a little over 4 miles from where the party occurred, and he was unfamiliar with the area, the suit says. The family moved to Hickory in 2020 after Philip Paxson, a medical device salesman, was promoted, it says.
The area was unlit and "was pitch black at 11:00 p.m." when the fatal crash occurred, the suit alleges. The Jeep went 20 feet down and Paxson drowned, it says.
A Google spokesperson said the company's goal is to provide accurate directions.
"We have the deepest sympathies for the Paxson family. Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in Maps and we are reviewing this lawsuit," the spokesperson said in a statement early Thursday.
“Our girls ask how and why their daddy died, and I’m at a loss for words they can understand because, as an adult, I still can’t understand how those responsible for the GPS directions and the bridge could have acted with so little regard for human life,” Alicia Paxson said, according to the New York Post.
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