Current:Home > MyGoogle Maps sued by family of North Carolina man who drove off collapsed bridge following directions -WealthGrow Network
Google Maps sued by family of North Carolina man who drove off collapsed bridge following directions
View
Date:2025-04-14 00:56:36
A North Carolina woman blames Google Maps for the death her husband last year after he drove his car off a collapsed bridge following directions from the GPS service.
On the night of Sept. 30, 2022, medical device salesman Philip Paxson drowned after his vehicle plunged off a bridge in Hickory, North Carolina that collapsed in 2013, state highway patrol Master Trooper Jeffrey Swagger told USA TODAY last year.
In a negligence lawsuit filed against Google's parent company Alphabet Tuesday, Paxson's wife Alicia alleged that Google Maps directed him to cross the Snow Creek Bridge as he drove through an unfamiliar neighborhood heading home from his daughter's ninth birthday party.
The state troopers who found the body of the Navy veteran and father of two in an upside down and partially submerged truck said he drove off an unguarded edge crashing 20 feet below, the court filing states. The troopers added there were no warning signs or barriers present along the roadway, which wasn't repaired by the time of the incident.
Las Vegas arrest:Police arrest second teen in hit-and-run of police chief after viral video captures moment
"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," Alicia said in a news release.
The lawsuit also claims multiple private property management companies are responsible for the bridge and the adjoining land.
In the years leading up to Paxson's death, Google Maps had been notified several times by people urging Google to update its route information, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also features email records from a Hickory resident who alerted Google in September 2020 with their "suggest an edit feature" that the service was directing drivers over the collapsed bridge.
"We have the deepest sympathies for the Paxson family," a Google spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY. "Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in Maps and we are reviewing this lawsuit.”
Paxson's mother-in-law Linda McPhee Koeing said he was driving home on a "dark and rainy night" in an Oct. 3 Facebook post.
"The bridge had been destroyed … years ago and never repaired," Koeing wrote last year.
Investigating troopers said last year the road where the tragedy occurred is not roadway maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
"Purportedly, that portion of the roadway collapsed several years ago when a culvert washed away," Swagger wrote. "Previous barricades apparently and reportedly had been vandalized and removed."
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund
veryGood! (9959)
Related
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Millions of kids are missing weeks of school as attendance tanks across the US
- What is hip-hop? An attempt to define the cultural phenomenon as it celebrates 50 years
- Last chance to pre-order new Samsung Galaxy devices—save up to $1,000 today
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Kate Middleton and Prince William Get Special New Titles From King Charles III
- Paramore cancels remaining US tour dates amid Hayley Williams' lung infection
- Mary Cosby Makes Epic Return in Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 4 Trailer
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Top Chef Host Kristen Kish Shares the 8-In-1 Must-Have That Makes Cooking So Much Easier
Ranking
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Special counsel proposes Jan. 2 trial date for Trump in 2020 election case
- Dog finds woman in cornfield, 2 days after she disappeared in Michigan crash
- Adam Sandler's Daughters Sadie and Sunny Are All Grown Up in Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah Trailer
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Horoscopes Today, August 10, 2023
- Man cited for animal neglect after dog dies in triple-digit heat during Phoenix hike
- Iconic Lahaina banyan tree threatened by fires: What we know about Maui's historic landmark
Recommendation
The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
'Burned down to ashes': Why devastated Lahaina Town is such a cherished place on Maui
John Anderson: The Wealth Architect's Journey from Wall Street to Global Dominance
4th person charged in riverside brawl in Alabama that drew national attention
Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
Salma Paralluelo's extra-time goal puts Spain into World Cup semifinals for first time
Salma Paralluelo's extra-time goal puts Spain into World Cup semifinals for first time
Attorney General Garland appoints a special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe