Family sues Google after driving off collapsed bridge following Google Map directions

A family in the United States has taken legal action against Google's parent company, Alphabet, following the death of a man who drove his vehicle off a collapsed bridge after receiving directions from Google Maps. Philip Paxson, a Navy veteran, lost his life in September last year when his car plunged off a bridge located in Hickory, North Carolina, which had collapsed back in 2013, as reported by USA Today.

According to the lawsuit filed by Paxson's wife, Alicia, this week, she alleges that "Google Maps directed him to cross the Snow Creek Bridge" while he was navigating through an "unfamiliar neighborhood, heading home from his daughter's ninth birthday party."

Tragically, state troopers discovered Paxson's lifeless body inside his partially submerged truck, which had overturned after crashing 20 feet below the bridge, as detailed in the court filing. Shockingly, there were no warning signs or barriers along the roadway to prevent such a calamity.


Alicia, struggling to find words to explain the loss to her daughters, stated, "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 reveals that in the years leading up to Paxson's tragic accident, "Google Maps had been notified several times by people urging Google to update its route information."

A spokesperson from Google expressed condolences, saying, "Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in Maps, and we are reviewing this lawsuit."