Rabat – In a tragic incident, 47-year-old John Paxson lost his life attempting to cross a bridge that collapsed nine years ago while following directions provided by Google Maps.
His family has filed a lawsuit against the tech giant, alleging negligence for directing him toward the unbarricaded bridge. The lawsuit also targets private property companies responsible for bridge maintenance, Insider reported on Thursday.
The incident took place on September 30, 2022, when Paxson was returning alone from a birthday party for his nine-year-old daughter when his pickup truck veered off the edge of a washed-out bridge near Hickory, North Carolina.
Being relatively new to the area, Paxson had relied on Google Maps to guide him home.
The family’s lawyer Bob Zimmerman emphasized Paxson’s unfamiliarity with the local roads and his reliance on the GPS service for accurate directions.
“Tragically, as he drove cautiously in the darkness and rain, he unsuspectingly followed Google’s outdated directions to what his family later learned for nearly a decade was called the ‘Bridge to Nowhere,’ crashing into Snow Creek, where he drowned,” Zimmerman said.
The victim and his family
The victim’s family questioned how such a hazardous situation remained unaddressed for so long, highlighting the removal of barriers due to vandalism and the lack of nearby warning signs about the collapsed bridge.
The lawsuit argued that multiple people had notified Google about the bridge’s condition in the years leading up to the accident, but the company failed to take adequate action.
Alicia Paxson, John’s widow, expressed the family’s struggle to comprehend how those responsible for the GPS directions and bridge upkeep could display such disregard for human life.
“Nobody wanted to take responsibility. I don’t understand how over nine years this could be like this,” she told WSOC-TV.
In response, Google expressed its condolences to the Paxson family and stated that they aim to provide accurate routing information and are “reviewing the lawsuit,” Insider reported.
