RALEIGH, N.C. Google is now at the center of a negligence lawsuit filed by the family of a North Carolina man who tragically lost his life while following Google Maps directions. The family claims that Google had been made aware of a collapsed bridge but failed to update its navigation system, resulting in the fatal incident.
The lawsuit, filed in Wake County Superior Court on Tuesday, details the heartbreaking incident involving Philip Paxson, a medical device salesman and a devoted father of two. On September 30, 2022, Paxson’s Jeep Gladiator plunged into Snow Creek in Hickory, ultimately leading to his tragic drowning. He was driving through an unfamiliar neighborhood, returning from his daughter’s ninth birthday party, when Google Maps allegedly directed him to cross a bridge that had collapsed nine years earlier and had never been repaired.
Alicia Paxson, his grieving widow, expressed her anguish, saying, “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.”
The lawsuit underscores that state troopers discovered Paxton’s body inside his overturned and partially submerged truck, revealing that there were no barriers or warning signs along the washed-out roadway. Paxson had unknowingly driven off an unguarded edge, crashing approximately 20 feet below, according to the lawsuit.
Further investigations revealed that the North Carolina State Patrol had indicated that the bridge was not maintained by local or state authorities, and the original developer’s company had dissolved. The lawsuit extends its claims to several private property management firms, which it alleges are accountable for the bridge and the adjoining land.
The lawsuit contends that multiple individuals had previously notified Google Maps about the bridge’s collapse in the years leading up to Paxson’s tragic demise. They had urged the company to update its route information, seeking to prevent such a catastrophic event.
Included in the court filing are email records from another Hickory resident who had utilized the map’s “suggest an edit” feature in September 2020 to notify Google that it was directing drivers over the collapsed bridge. A confirmation email from Google in November 2020 acknowledges receipt of her report, but the lawsuit asserts that Google took no further action.
In response to the lawsuit, Google spokesperson José Castañeda issued a statement expressing the company’s deep sympathy for the Paxson family. He stated, “Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in Maps, and we are reviewing this lawsuit.”
This legal action highlights the pressing issue of the responsibility of technology companies in ensuring the accuracy and safety of the information provided by their navigation systems, particularly in situations where public safety is at risk.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
