Google is facing a lawsuit for alleged negligence after the family of a man from North Carolina who tragically lost his life blames Google. They are suing Google after its outdated maps 'misguided him to his death.'
The incident occurred as Philip Paxson, 47, was using Google Maps to navigate his way home from his eldest daughter's ninth birthday celebration in Hickory, North Carolina, on September 30, 2022.
However, the GPS put him onto an unfamiliar route that included a bridge that had collapsed nearly a decade prior and had never been repaired, causing him to fall down and drown.
In a lawsuit filed in Wake County, Paxson's family holds Google responsible for his death.
According to the lawsuit, Paxson's Jeep veered off an unguarded edge, plummeted 20 feet below, and led to his drowning.
State troopers, who discovered Paxson's body in his overturned and partially submerged truck, noted the absence of barriers or warning signs along the washed-out roadway.
According to the lawsuit, multiple people had notified Google Maps about the bridge's collapse in the years leading up to Paxson's tragic accident, urging the company to update its route information.
His wife 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.'
An email confirmation from Google in November 2020 acknowledges receipt of the report and indicates that the company was in the process of reviewing her report. However, Google took no further action.
A Google spokesman said: 'We have the deepest sympathies for the Paxson family. Our primary objective is to offer accurate routing information through Maps, and we are currently assessing this legal matter."
The North Carolina State Patrol had previously indicated that neither local nor state authorities were responsible for maintaining the bridge, and the company associated with the bridge's original development had dissolved.
The lawsuit identifies Hickory businessman James Tarlton and his companies, Tarde LLC and Hinckley Gauvain LLC, as the owners of the bridge and the surrounding land, as reported by the Hickory Record. Tarlton and the two businesses have been accused of neglecting to repair the damaged bridge and failing to provide sufficient lighting to prevent accidents near Snow Creek.
