An American family from North Carolina plans to sue the tech giant Google on charges of negligence, claiming that the company failed to update its navigation system despite being notified of a collapsed bridge. This incident led to the tragic death of Philip Paxson, a sales representative and father of two, whose car plunged into the Snow Creek in Hickory area on September 30, 2022, according to a lawsuit filed by the family on Tuesday in the Upper Wake County Court.
Paxson was returning home from his daughter's ninth birthday party when Google Maps directed him to cross a bridge that had collapsed nine years prior and had not been repaired, as reported by the Associated Press.
His wife, Alicia Paxson, stated in a press release, "Our daughters are asking how and why their father died, and I don't know how to answer them so they can understand. Because, as an adult, I still don't understand how someone could be so careless towards global navigation system directions and a bridge's impact on a person's life."
No Barriers or Warning Signs
State police officers who found Paxson's nearly submerged car stated that there were no barriers or warning signs along the submerged road.
The state patrol mentioned that the bridge had not undergone maintenance by local or state officials, and the development company that initially constructed it had dissolved.
The lawsuit implicates several private property management companies believed to be responsible for the bridge and adjacent land.
Several individuals had informed Google of the bridge's collapse in the years leading up to Paxson's demise, urging the company to update road information, according to the lawsuit.
