The Paxson family, residents of Hickory, North Carolina, filed a lawsuit against Google last Tuesday, alleging that the Google Maps application gave the head of the family, Philip Paxson, wrong directions and led him to a partially collapsed bridge. As a result, the man crashed into Snow Creek, where he drowned and died.
According to CNN reports, the lawsuit includes that residents of the area had previously expressed concerns about the safety of said bridge, urging that it be repaired or that barricades be installed to prevent accidents. Despite insistence, the requests were never responded to.
For this reason, the Paxson family is not only suing Alphabet, Google’s parent company, but also two local companies, which they consider responsible for the poor maintenance of the land and the bridge, in addition to providing insufficient security measures.
The events occurred on September 30, 2022. The rain that day altered the initial plans for the birthday party of one of their daughters and they celebrated it at the house of one of their friends. After the party, Alicia, Philip’s wife, went home with her daughters and he stayed to help clean.
To get back home, Philip used the Google Maps app, since the whole family had recently moved there from Florida and he was unfamiliar with the roads in the area. However, the app’s directions led him to a partially collapsed bridge since 2013, which did not have proper signage or repairs.
The family’s attorney, Robert Zimmerman, issued a statement saying Google Maps had directed drivers, including Paxson, toward that dangerous route for several years, despite public complaints about it. The family argues that Google did not update its navigation system or mark the road as closed, despite warnings.
Google showed its condolences to the Paxson family in a statement sent to CNN itself, in which they stated that they are reviewing the lawsuit. “Our goal is to provide accurate route information on maps, and we are reviewing this demand.”
Alicia Paxson expressed her desire for her voice to be heard and highlighted the devastating impact of the loss of her husband on her family. “Our daughters ask me how and why their father died, and I lack words that they can understand because, as an adult, I still cannot understand how those responsible for the GPS indications, and the bridge, could act with so little regard for the human life,” he said.
Larry Bendesky, managing partner of Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky and also the family’s attorney, said: “His reliance on Google Maps, and the failure of road and bridge officials to do their jobs, cost him his life.”
