Fell to Death Following Google Maps... Sued for "Guiding on Dangerous Route"

Guided to a bridge collapsed 9 years ago
Correction requested but no action taken
Bridge management officials sued together

A driver following Google Maps directions in the United States fell from a collapsed bridge and died. The bereaved family filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming that the company led them to a dangerous route which caused the death.

According to major foreign media including ABC News in the U.S. on the 20th (local time), the family of Philip Paxton, who died in a car accident last year, filed a lawsuit against Google yesterday at the Wake County Superior Court in North Carolina, claiming that the accident occurred because Google failed to reflect the accident information on the map despite being aware of it.

Philip Paxton, a father of two who sold medical devices, died on September 30 last year after finishing his youngest daughter's 9th birthday party. While driving home following Google Maps directions, he fell from a bridge that had collapsed and been abandoned nine years earlier.

The bridge where the accident occurred was located near Snow Creek in the vicinity of Hickory. It is reported that the developer who built the bridge disappeared, and the bridge remained abandoned even after its collapse.

His family claims that Paxton, despite being unfamiliar with the route at the time, trusted Google Maps directions and was involved in the accident while following them.

The family submitted emails from nearby residents who reported the bridge's collapse to Google as evidence, arguing that Google did not reflect the multiple reports of the bridge's collapse on the map prior to the accident.

Police investigations revealed that there were no warning signs, barricades, or detour signs around the bridge at the time of the accident. The family also sued private property management companies known to be responsible for managing the bridge and nearby land.

Philip's wife, Alicia Paxton, said, "Our daughters ask how and why their father died, but we cannot give them an answer they can accept." She added, "Even now, I cannot understand how those responsible for the GPS and the bridge could act with so little regard for human life."

Google, through a spokesperson, expressed "deep condolences to the Paxton family" and stated, "We strive to provide accurate route information and are currently reviewing the lawsuit filed."