Family of North Carolina man who died after driving off collapsed bridge is suing Google after its outdated maps ‘misguided him to his death’
The family of a North Carolina man who died after leaving a collapsed bridge is suing Google for negligence and says it failed to update its navigation system.
Philip Paxson, 47, used Google Maps to get home from his oldest daughter’s ninth birthday party in Hickory, North Carolina, on September 30, 2022.
But GPS put him on the unknown path to a bridge that collapsed nearly a decade earlier and was never repaired, causing him to drown.
The family of the father of two filed a lawsuit in Wake County against Google on Tuesday and blamed the company for his death.
Paxon’s Jeep plunged off an unprotected edge, crashed 20 feet below and he drowned, according to the lawsuit.
The family of Philip Paxson, 47, of North Carolina, who died after leaving a collapsed bridge, is suing Google for negligence and says it failed to update its navigation system.
He was using Google Maps to get home from his oldest daughter’s ninth birthday party in Hickory, North Carolina on September 30, 2022.
But GPS put him on the unknown path to a bridge that collapsed nearly a decade earlier and was never repaired, causing him to drown.
“Our daughters ask how and why their daddy died, and I can’t find the words they can understand because, as an adult, I still don’t understand how those responsible for the GPS directions and the bridge could have done this . little respect for human life,” said his widow Alicia Paxson.
State troopers who found Paxton’s body in his overturned and partially submerged truck said there were no barriers or warning signs along the washed-out road.
He had left an unguarded edge and crashed about 20 feet below, according to the lawsuit.
Several people had told Google Maps about the collapse in the years before Paxson’s death and urged the company to update its route information, according to the lawsuit.
The court filing includes email records from another Hickory resident who used the map’s “suggest a change” feature in September 2020 to alert the company that it was directing drivers over the collapsed bridge.
A confirmation email from Google from November 2020 confirms that the company received its report and was reviewing the suggested change, but the lawsuit claims Google took no further action.
“We have our deepest condolences to the Paxson family,” a Google spokesperson said. “Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in Maps and we are currently reviewing this lawsuit.”
The family of the father of two filed a lawsuit in Wake County against Google on Tuesday and blamed the company for his death.
Paxon’s Jeep plunged off an unprotected edge, crashed 20 feet below and he drowned, according to the lawsuit.
The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Phil acquired just days before his fatal accident. It is suspected that his GPS guided him into the ravine where a bridge was located.
The North Carolina State Patrol had said the bridge was not maintained by local or state officials and that the original developer’s company had been dissolved.
The lawsuit names Hickory businessman James Tarlton and the companies Tarde LLC and Hinckley Gauvain LLC as owners of the bridge and surrounding land, according to the Hickory Record.
Tarlton and the two companies were accused of failing to repair the damaged bridge and failing to provide enough lighting to prevent people from crashing into Snow Creek.
“It still doesn’t feel real,” Alicia said during a press conference Wednesday.
She left their daughter’s birthday party early with their daughters while Paxon stayed behind to help clean up.
“How has it been nine years since this happened, and why did it have to be him?” » Alicia said at the time. “Like, why don’t my kids have to have a father now, you know?
Several people told Google Maps about the collapse in the years before Paxson’s death and urged the company to update its route information, according to the lawsuit.
His widow Alicia Paxon said: “Our daughters 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 GPS directions and The bridge could have acted with so little respect for human life.
Phil, 47, is remembered by many as a father, husband and friend. Tributes to the father of two young girls praise his humor and good humor
After celebrating the nine-year-old’s birthday at a family friend’s house, “we packed up all the decorations, he packed the van and he loaded the girls into the van,” she said .
Paxon “always had an affection for muscle cars, motorcycles, dirt bikes, boats, really anything with an engine,” his obituary reads.
“He traveled the world with his father-in-law on motorcycles. He and his wife and two daughters enjoyed camping and boating with family and friends. Phil put his family first and his almost equal friends second.
“He was larger than life, always up for adventure, with a permanent smile on his face, he would take his shirt off of you or talk you out of the one on yours.”