The family of a North Carolina man who tragically lost his life in a bridge collapse is now filing a lawsuit against tech giant Google. They claim that the company’s flawed Google Maps directions led to the fatal incident.
Philip Paxson, a medical device salesman and a father of two, died on September 30, 2022, when his vehicle plunged into Snow Creek in Hickory, North Carolina. Paxson was driving home from his daughter’s birthday party and relied on Google Maps for directions through an unfamiliar neighborhood. Allegedly, the app directed him to cross a bridge that had collapsed nine years prior and had not been repaired since.
According to a report by ABC News, the lawsuit, filed in Wake County Superior Court, accuses Google of negligence. The family argues that the technology giant showed little regard for human life by failing to update its navigation system despite being informed multiple times about the bridge’s collapse.
Alicia Paxson, Philip’s wife, expressed her grief and frustration, 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 North Carolina State Patrol reported that there were no barriers or warning signs along the washed-out roadway, and Paxson tragically drove off an unguarded edge, crashing about 20 feet below. The bridge was not maintained by local or state officials, and the original developer’s company had dissolved. The lawsuit also includes several private property management companies as defendants, alleging that they are responsible for the bridge and the adjoining land.
Multiple individuals had notified Google about the collapsed bridge in the years leading up to Paxson’s death, urging the company to update its route information. The court filing includes email records from a Hickory resident who used the map’s suggest an edit feature in September 2020 to alert the company about the issue. Google confirmed receiving the report and reviewing the suggested change but allegedly took no further actions.
In response to the tragic incident and the resulting lawsuit, Google spokesperson José Castañeda expressed condolences to the Paxson family and stated that the company’s goal is to provide accurate routing information in Google Maps. Google is now reviewing the lawsuit.
This lawsuit raises important questions about the responsibility of technology companies in ensuring the accuracy and safety of their navigation systems. As the legal process unfolds, it remains to be seen how this case will impact the future development and use of mapping technologies.
