The family of Philip Paxson, a US resident who drowned after he tried to drive off a collapsed bridge, filed a lawsuit against Google on Tuesday, the 19th of September, alleging that the company’s negligence led to his death because it failed to update its maps, which did not reflect that the bridge Paxson was driving off collapsed nine years ago, reports BBC.
Lawyers for the family said in a statement that Philip Paxson relied on Google Maps to find his way home in unfamiliar area after his daughter’s birthday party. “Tragically, he cautiously
followed outdated Google Maps directions
that led him to a collapsed bridge, known locally as the ‘bridge to nowhere’, his car plunged into a river and he drowned,” the lawyers said.
The lawsuit claims that after the bridge collapsed in 2013, local residents repeatedly contacted Google to update their maps. Reportedly, a barrier was also missing at the bridge’s entrance due to vandalism. The lawsuit
sued not only Google, but also three local companies,
claiming that they had a duty to maintain the bridge.
A Google spokesperson expressed his condolences to the Paxson family, stating that Google’s goal is to offer accurate route information on Maps, adding that the lawsuit is currently being reviewed.
Philip Paxson died in September 2022 in Hickory, North Carolina.
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