Grieving Family Takes Legal Action Against Google Maps For Routing Off Father To Collapsed US Bridge

The grieving family of Philip Paxson has filed a lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL Google Maps, claiming that the navigation service directed their father onto a collapsed U.S. bridge, leading to an ill-fated accident.

What Happened: On Sept. 30, 2022, tragedy struck when Paxson, a 47-year-old resident of Hickory, North Carolina, was returning home from his daughter’s birthday celebration.

Following Google Maps on a dark and rainy night, he found himself on a concrete road that abruptly led to a collapsed bridge, resulting in his death.

See Also: Apple Maps Is Winning User Trust, But Jack Dorsey Remains Loyal To Google

The family’s lawsuit alleged that neither the bridge nor the road leading to it had any barriers or warning signs to caution drivers about the impending hazard. 

Alicia Paxson, the victim’s wife, expressed her grief, saying, “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.”

In response to the lawsuit, Google issued a statement expressing sympathy for the Paxson family and acknowledging their goal of providing accurate routing information through Google Maps. 

“We have the deepest sympathies for the Paxson family. Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in Maps, and we are reviewing this lawsuit,” a company spokesperson told The Guardian. 

Why It’s Important: Paxson’s tragic accident is not the first instance where GPS navigation has been implicated in fatal incidents. According to The Guardian report, in the past few years, there have been similar cases worldwide, including in Russia and Indonesia, where individuals have lost their lives due to allegedly following GPS directions onto hazardous routes.

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