Tragedy Strikes: Google Faces Negligence Lawsuit Over Bridge Mishap

The family of a North Carolina man, who tragically lost his life when his car plunged off a bridge that had collapsed while he was following Google Maps directions, is filing a lawsuit against the tech giant. They allege negligence, asserting that Google was aware of the bridge collapse but did not update its navigation system accordingly.

A tragic incident occurred on September 30, 2022, when Philip Paxson, a father of two and a medical device salesman, lost his life. His Jeep Gladiator veered into Snow Creek in Hickory, resulting in his drowning. A lawsuit filed in Wake County Superior Court claims that Paxson, while returning home from his daughter’s ninth birthday party in an unfamiliar area, was directed by Google Maps to cross a bridge that had collapsed nine years earlier and remained unrepaired.

Alicia Paxson, the wife of the deceased 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.

State troopers who discovered Paxson’s body inside his overturned and partially submerged vehicle reported that there were no barriers or warning signs along the washed-out road. Tragically, he had driven off an unguarded edge and plummeted approximately 20 feet below, as detailed in the lawsuit.

It’s worth noting that the North Carolina State Patrol had previously indicated that the bridge was not under the maintenance of local or state authorities, and the company of the original developer had dissolved. The lawsuit identifies several private property management firms as the entities responsible for the bridge and the adjacent land.

Numerous individuals had reportedly informed Google Maps of the bridge collapse in the years preceding Paxson’s tragic accident. They had strongly encouraged the company to revise its navigation information, as outlined in the lawsuit.

In this regard, Google spokesperson, José Castañeda said,

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 court filing from Tuesday contains email records from a different Hickory resident who, in September 2020, utilized the map’s “suggest an edit” feature to bring to Google’s attention that it was guiding drivers over the collapsed bridge. In a November 2020 email confirmation from Google, the company acknowledged receipt of her report and mentioned that it was evaluating the suggested modification. However, according to the lawsuit, Google allegedly failed to take any subsequent actions.

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