Late at night in September 2022, Philip Paxson died after following Google Maps’ directions to a collapsed bridge. Now his family is suing Google for negligence.
According to the lawsuit, the bridge in North Carolina, US, collapsed in 2013. Over the years, the company has received multiple complaints about the bridge´s malfunction but has done nothing.
Google´s spokesperson, José Castañeda, said that:
“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 route through the Snow Creek Bridge, known as the “Bridge to Nowhere” by locals, remains active.
The lawsuit also targets Google`s parent company, Alphabet Inc., the owner of a piece of land where the bridge is located, and the individuals responsible for its maintenance.
The bridge is usually surrounded by warning signs and barricades, but those were “removed after being vandalised and were missing at the time of Paxson’s wreck”, reported the Charlotte Observer.
Philip Paxson`s widow, Alicia, said:
“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.”