Tech giant Google files lawsuit: Man follows Google Maps, falls from broken bridge and dies

The family of a man who died after falling from a broken bridge has filed a lawsuit against the tech giant Google. Her husband is Map service instructions Widow Alicia Paxson said she tracked it down on Google Maps. The company was informed of the collapse of the bridge in the US state of North Carolina, but failed to update its navigation system.

Phillip Paxson, a medical equipment salesman and father of two, drowned on September 30, 2022, after his Jeep plunged into Snow Creek in Hickory Township. That’s according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Wake County Superior Court. Paxson was driving through unfamiliar territory on his way home from his daughter’s ninth birthday party when Google Maps allegedly directed him over a bridge that collapsed nine years ago and was never repaired. Alicia Paxson said she could not understand “how those responsible for GPS instructions and the bridge could act with so little regard for human life.”

The police, who found the body of Philip Paxson in his submerged car, reported that there were no barriers or warning signs along the road leading to the abyss. According to the lawsuit, Paxson drove his car over a ledge and fell more than 20 feet. The lawsuit says many users reported the crash to Google Maps in recent years and asked the company to update their route information.

(Department of Political Affairs/Chapter)