Shillong, September 21: A US family has filed a lawsuit against Google’s parent company, Alphabet, following a tragic incident in which a family member lost his life after following Google Maps directions that led him off a collapsed bridge.
As per IANS, in September of the previous year, Philip Paxson tragically drowned when his vehicle plunged off a bridge in Hickory, North Carolina. The bridge had collapsed in 2013, as reported by USA Today.
Alicia Paxson, the wife of the deceased, alleged in the lawsuit filed this week that “Google Maps directed him to cross the Snow Creek Bridge” as he was driving through an unfamiliar neighborhood on his way home from his daughter’s ninth birthday party.
Philip Paxson, a Navy veteran, was discovered by state troopers in an overturned and partially submerged truck after driving off an unguarded edge, falling 20 feet below, according to the court filing.
Significantly, there were no warning signs or barriers in place along the roadway.
Alicia Paxson expressed her profound grief, stating, “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.”
The lawsuit also revealed that in the years leading up to Philip Paxson’s tragic death, “Google Maps had been notified several times by people urging Google to update its route information.”
A Google spokesperson conveyed the company’s condolences to the Paxson family and stated, “Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in Maps, and we are reviewing this lawsuit.”
