Current Events > Family of man who died driving off collapsed bridge sues google for its map app

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https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/21/us/father-death-google-gps-drive-off-bridge-lawsuit-north-carolina/index.html

Google has been sued by the family of a North Carolina man claiming the companys Maps application last year led him to drive off a collapsed bridge and fall about 20 feet to his death, according to the lawsuit.
Philip Paxson was following Google Maps directions while driving home late at night in September 2022 from his daughters 9th birthday party when the navigation system directed him to go over an unmarked and unbarricaded bridge that had collapsed years prior, the suit filed Tuesday states.
Paxson drove off the unbarricaded edge of the bridge in Hickory, North Carolina, and drowned, the suit says.

For years before this tragedy, Hickory residents asked for the road to be fixed or properly barricaded before someone was hurt or killed. Their demands went unanswered, Paxson family attorney Robert Zimmerman said in a statement. Weve discovered that Google Maps misdirected motorists like Mr. Paxson onto this collapsed road for years, despite receiving complaints from the public demanding that Google fix its map and directions to mark the road as CLOSED.
Though residents notified Google Maps of the hazardous bridge, the application continued to navigate drivers over it, claims the suit, which includes a report made to Google Maps by a woman asking it to update its navigation system; CNN is unable to verify the veracity of the exhibit.

Having a centralized map with up to date aerial photos available to the public is largely a good thing, but real talk Google's spotty info can be a big problems sometimes.

If the bridge is unmarked and unbarricaded they should be suing the local council

Kloe_Rinz posted...

If the bridge is unmarked and unbarricaded they should be suing the local council

Exactly! The article even states that locals had asked it to be properly barricaded for years. But Google has deep pockets and could choose to settle just to make them.go away. If that fails, then they'll go after the people who are actually responsible.

This is definitely a local issue it sounds like they're going after the one that has the most money

The amount of times Google/Apple wanted me to make an illegal U turn in the middle of ongoing traffic on a fucking highway is wild

https://i.imgur.com/LvZvjjd.gifv

This is the kind of shit the Roadrunner would do to Wile E. Coyote if they had cellphones back then.

I don't want to make a joke out of this. But this sounds like when Scott drove into that lake on the office. While these things do help you get to places, you still have to use common sense.

cjsdowg posted...

I don't want to make a joke out of this. But this sounds like when Scott drove into that lake on the office. While these things do help you get to places, you still have to use common sense.

I got you bro

Kloe_Rinz posted...

If the bridge is unmarked and unbarricaded they should be suing the local council

Definitely sounds like this to me too

I wouldnt blame google but how the hell was a collapsed bridge unmarked and unbarricaded for YEARS? That blows my mind.

SayHeyyShohei posted...

The amount of times Google/Apple wanted me to make an illegal U turn in the middle of ongoing traffic on a fucking highway is wild

My apple maps way trying to kill me for a year until my phone died.
It would also always give me directions, even if nothing was entered.

Sounds like they should sue the town/city too

archizzy posted...

I wouldnt blame google but how the hell was a collapsed bridge unmarked and unbarricaded for YEARS? That blows my mind.

at some point i think i would have tried to make some kind of barrier of rocks or something myself maybe just lay a log across the road or something

Thermador446 posted...

My apple maps way trying to kill me for a year until my phone died.
It would also always give me directions, even if nothing was entered.

Because it assumes where you're going. Mine always tells me how long it'll take to get to my work when I leave my house even if I'm not going there.

cjsdowg posted...

I don't want to make a joke out of this. But this sounds like when Scott drove into that lake on the office. While these things do help you get to places, you still have to use common sense.

It was late night so limited vision and the lack of traffic wouldn't really seem notable

I needed to walk from the center of Barcelos to it's bus station... and Google Maps directed me to walk off a 10-story cliff to get there.

Needless to say, I was aware of my surroundings and said... "No, that's a bad idea."

divot1338 posted...

This is the kind of shit the Roadrunner would do to Wile E. Coyote if they had cellphones back then.

Except it was at night, probably in near pitch black setting given the town couldn't even put up barricades. By the time the guy saw it, he probably couldn't stop in time.

Google is absolutely partly at fault here. They advertise safe navigation and had plenty of time to update their maps. The town has the majority of fault clearly, but that doesn't absolve google from ensuring their maps are updated in a reasonable fashion

Tom_Joad posted...

I needed to walk from the center of Barcelos to it's bus station... and Google Maps directed me to walk off a 10-story cliff to get there.

Needless to say, I was aware of my surroundings and said... "No, that's a bad idea."

Was it pitch black and you were walking at 60 mph?

I've had Google maps instruct me to walk through literal fenced in, private property to get to my destination.

Charismic_Zach_Gowen posted...

Was it pitch black and you were walking at 60 mph?

Nope. Daylight and walking speed.

Also, Google Maps likes to tell me to junp off bridges in Porto to get to my destination. It's really damn annoying.

Because I don't want to die here:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/taRUBraMfNHXw1Yy5

It's not Google's fault that the local government didn't tell Google the bridge was closed but also technically open because the local government didn't cut off access.

Should be suing the city as well

Charismic_Zach_Gowen posted...

Except it was at night, probably in near pitch black setting given the town couldn't even put up barricades. By the time the guy saw it, he probably couldn't stop in time.

Google is absolutely partly at fault here. They advertise safe navigation and had plenty of time to update their maps. The town has the majority of fault clearly, but that doesn't absolve google from ensuring their maps are updated in a reasonable fashion

I honestly cant see Google at fault. They always say to pay attention to signage etc, of which there was none. What if someone else who wasnt using Google maps tried to take that road? This is 100% the councils fault and Id go as far as personally blaming whoever rejected barricades/closing the roads and charging them with deadly negligence

Kloe_Rinz posted...

I honestly cant see Google at fault. They always say to pay attention to signage etc, of which there was none. What if someone else who wasnt using Google maps tried to take that road? This is 100% the councils fault and Id go as far as personally blaming whoever rejected barricades/closing the roads and charging them with deadly negligence

^^ exactly. How the fuck is Google going to know if the bridge is closed or not if nobody tells them? all it is is a map and it's no different from old school street directories; if he was using one of those he'd have *still* driven off the bridge.

Not overly shocked, had google maps direct me to turn right and cut through a nearby field. Ive also had it tell me to turn the wrong way down one way streets multiple times.

Article says people told Google. It just wasn't the city. It was the users. They told Google. But apparently Google only listens to cities. They ignored or didn't believe all the users

Zikten posted...

Article says people told Google. It just wasn't the city. It was the users. They told Google. But apparently Google only listens to cities. They ignored or didn't believe all the users

Google doesnt control street signs on the roads or barricades off collapsed bridges. Thats the council

Kloe_Rinz posted...

Google doesnt control street signs on the roads or barricades off collapsed bridges. Thats the council

Google controls their app though. They should have updated the app so that it never tells people to go on that bridge

Zikten posted...

Google controls their app though. They should have updated the app so that it never tells people to go on that bridge

Whats this got to do with a barricade on the bridge and road signage notifying drivers to turn back because death is ahead? This situation has nothing to do with Google or anyone who makes maps (you may be shocked to learn Google isnt the only one)

The app told him to go on the bridge. We can argue about common sense. But this wouldn't have happened at all if the app had known the bridge is broken down

If you tried navigating with Google in Europe, you'd be fucked

Zikten posted...

The app told him to go on the bridge. We can argue about common sense. But this wouldn't have happened at all if the app had known the bridge is broken down

Yes it would have because any other driver using any other map thats not Google would have taken the same road. Even drivers using no maps at all.

Is the bridge not blocked? If so, why not?

They should now...

Post #10 is really gross and in poor taste.

rexcrk posted...

Post #10 is really gross and in poor taste.

Agreed