NORTH CAROLINA (WTRF) – The family of a North Carolina man who drove off a bridge to his death while using Google Maps has filed a lawsuit against the tech giant, according to WRTV and CNN.
According to the lawsuit, Philip Paxson was following directions from the Google Maps app as he was driving home late at night from his daughter’s ninth birthday party. Google Maps directed him across an unmarked, unbarricaded bridge that had collapsed years earlier, the suit alleges.
Paxson drove off the bridge and drowned.
The lawsuit states that Hickory, North Carolina residents, where the bridge is located, had warned that Google Maps was navigating drivers across the closed bridge. The bridge reportedly was not repaired since its partial collapse in 2013.
One woman complained to Google about the dangerous directions and received what appeared to be an autoreply email from Google saying, “Your suggestion is being reviewed. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. We’ll let you know once the changes are published.”
Paxson’s family is also suing Alphabet, Google’s parent company and two local companies allegedly responsible for maintaining the the bridge and warning signs.
