Google is sued over the death of a motorist – in 2022, Maps directed him to a destroyed bridge
A car drove off an emergency bridge in Hickory, North Carolina, and its driver drowned.
Now the widow, Alicia Paxson, has filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming that the company’s mapping service recommended a potentially dangerous route for her husband, Philip.
According to the charges, the error in Google Maps was not corrected, despite the fact that the destroyed bridge had been warned about two years before the fatal accident.
“Phillip Paxson tragically died while driving home from his daughter’s ninth birthday party and took off from an unmarked and unguarded crumbling bridge in Hickory, North Carolina, following GPS directions,” the complaint reads.
The Snow Creek Bridge was destroyed in 2013 and has not been repaired since.
The lawsuit names five defendants, including Google and its owner Alphabet, James Tarlton, and two local businesses that “owned, controlled, and/or otherwise were responsible for the land” on which the bridge is located.
“The defendants have refused to properly maintain the bridge, leaving it in a dangerous condition for many years,” the lawsuit says. “They refused to post barricades to warn drivers of the potentially fatal fall and failed to take steps to ensure that the barricades remained in place until the necessary repairs were made.”
The photos provided by the lawyers show that the “Road Closed” signs and fences are placed on both sides of the bridge, although they were not there at the time of the accident.
The lawsuit also states that in September 2022, Hickory resident Kim Ellis suggested edits to Google Maps to report the bridge’s condition, and also contacted the service again in November.
The woman provided the confirmation emails she received from Google after both of her reports; and she “was not the only citizen to notify the company of the dangerous condition of the bridge.”
“As of April 6, 2023, and on information and belief at other times thereafter, the destroyed bridge was still shown as a roadway on Google Maps during the route from the celebration site to Paxson’s home, despite the defendant being advised of the danger again,” the lawsuit says.
According to a press release from the law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, after the accident, the family learned that residents called Snow Creek a “bridge to nowhere.”
“We found that Google Maps had been misdirecting motorists like Mr. Paxson to this destroyed road for years, despite public complaints that required the company to correct the routes to mark the road as closed,” said attorney Robert Zimmerman.
Google did not provide a specific response to the allegations against Maps, but said it “deeply sympathizes with the Paxson family and is reviewing this lawsuit.” The other defendants have not yet responded to journalists’ inquiries.
“The girls ask me how and why their dad died, and I can’t find the words… I still can’t understand how those responsible for the GPS navigation and the bridge could act without paying attention to people’s lives,” the law firm quoted Alicia Paxson as saying.
On September 30, 2022, when Philip Paxson was returning home, it was gloomy and rainy outside. He drove his Jeep Gladiator alone.
“Mr. and Mrs. Paxson went to the party separately because Alicia arrived early to help with the preparations, and Philip then brought the girls to the party. At the end of the evening, Mrs. Paxson took her daughters home and her husband stayed to clean up,” the complaint says.
Philip Paxson was not familiar with the area and did not know that the bridge had collapsed. There was no artificial lighting in the area, and he drove by at about 11:00 p.m.
“Following the dangerous directions provided by the Maps, Paxson’s car drove off the edge of the bridge. He tragically drowned, leaving behind his wife Alicia, two young daughters, parents, siblings, and countless family members and friends who loved him.”
The lawsuit accuses Google, Alphabet, and the owners of the territory of “gross negligence, intentional and reckless behavior.” Alicia Paxson demands a jury trial and damages.
