A picture of what was locally known as the “Bridge to Nowhere” in Hickory, North Carolina. Inset top: Alicia Paxson and her husband, Philip, who died after his car drove over a washed-out bridge that was part of a route advised by Google Maps. Inset bottom: Philip Paxon’s car after the incident. (Images via law firm of Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky.)
The family of a man who drowned after his car drove off a washed-out bridge that was part of a Google Maps route in the dark of night has sued the tech giant, alleging that it ignored warning signs of the road’s dangerous condition.
Philip Paxson, 47, drowned after his Jeep Gladiator crashed into a creek as he was driving home in Hickory, North Carolina, late at night on Sept. 30, 2022. He was following directions provided by Google Maps, which allegedly instructed him to take a route that included the bridge — even though it had been unusable for nine years, having collapsed in 2013.
Paxson, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and medical device salesman, had moved to Hickory from Florida with his family, including his two young daughters, ages 7 and 9, in the summer of 2020. He was driving home from a birthday party for his daughter held at a friend’s house when the crash happened.
“Tragically, as he drove cautiously in the darkness and rain, he unsuspectingly followed Google’s outdated directions to what his family later learned for nearly a decade was called the “Bridge to Nowhere,” crashing into Snow Creek, where he drowned,” the law firm of Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, which represents Philip Paxson’s wife, Alicia Paxson, said in announcing a lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit also names two companies and an individual, James Tarlton, who the complaint identifies as the owners of the land where the bridge is located.
According to the complaint, residents of Hickory — a city around 70 miles northwest of Charlotte — had repeatedly flagged to Google Maps that the bridge had collapsed and was not safe for motorists.
“In an effort to prevent a horrible incident, multiple individuals notified Google Maps about the dangerous condition of the bridge, and in at least one communication even included a news article about the danger,” the lawsuit says.
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Locals allegedly also tried to get the owners of the private road and bridge to either fix the danger or put up barriers and warning signs until it was safe.
“For years prior to September 30, 2022, members of the Hickory Woods community living near the bridge fought to have it repaired, and barricaded until it could be repaired,” the lawsuit says.
The defendants, however, “took no action” in response to these efforts, the lawsuit says. The complaint also notes that at the time of the deadly crash, “[n]o artificial lighting, overhead or otherwise, was placed on or around the subject road to assist in revealing the hazard.”
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“While following the dangerous directions the Google Map Defendants provided, Mr. Paxson’s vehicle drove off the unguarded edge of the bridge and crashed approximately twenty feet below,” the lawsuit says.
The complaint notes that shortly before the lawsuit was filed — and months after Philip Paxson died — Google Maps still hasn’t stopped directing motorists over the bridge.
“As of April 26, 2023, and upon information and belief at other times thereafter, the collapsed bridge unbelievably was still depicted as a passable road on Google Maps […] despite the Google Map Defendants having been placed on notice yet again of the danger,” the complaint says.
The complaint alleges negligence on the part of both Google and the property owners and seeks an unspecified amount of punitive damages and damages for loss of consortium.
“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,” Alicia Paxson said in a press release announcing the lawsuit. “Google ignored the concerned community voices telling them to change its map and directions. No one should ever lose a loved one this way, and we want to make sure our voices are heard.”
In a statement, Google expressed condolences for Paxson’s family.
“We have the deepest sympathies for the Paxson family,” a Google spokesperson said in the statement. “Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in Maps and we are reviewing this lawsuit.”
Read the lawsuit below.
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