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Google sued after man dies driving off collapsed bridge

Google Maps told Philip Paxton that he should drive on the Snow Creek Bridge, which collapsed in 2013.

Google

Sede de Google en Mountain View, California / Wikimedia Commons

Published by
Alejandro Baños

Alicia Paxson, a North Carolina woman, is suing Google for negligence after her husband, Philip Paxson, died when his car fell off the Snow Creek Bridge in Hickory, N.C., while using a route shown by Google Maps. Google Maps. The bridge collapsed in 2013.

Additionally, she points out in the lawsuit that Google Maps continued to show the bridge as usable in April of this year.

"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," wrote Alicia Paxson in a statement picked up by The Hill.

"Google ignored the concerned community voices telling them to change its map and directions. No one should ever lose a loved one this way, and we want to make sure our voices are heard," Paxson continued.

Those responsible for maintaining the bridge were also sued.

The structure does not have barricades or warning signs indicating that it is unusable, according to the lawsuit. Larry Bendesky, Alicia Paxson's attorney, said:

Mr. Paxson was completely unaware that the Snow Creek Bridge collapsed in 2013, just like others who narrowly escaped the same fate. Like so many motorists, Philip put his trust in Google Maps to safely guide him home from the children’s birthday party. His trust in Google Maps, and the failure of the road and bridge-keepers to do their jobs, cost him his life.

The events occurred in September 2022. Philip was returning from his daughter's birthday party in his vehicle. Google Maps told him that he should go on the Snow Creek Bridge, located in the town of Hickory. He trusted the direction indicated by the GPS and, as he crossed the bridge, he fell and died.

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