The family of a North Carolina man is suing Google and others after he drove his vehicle off of a collapsed bridge while following his Google Maps directions. The family is accusing Google of negligence, saying it was warned about the bridge’s collapse but did not update its navigation system to reflect the inaccessible route.

On September 30, 2022, 47-year-old medical salesman Philip Paxson was following his Google Maps directions through the town of Hickory, N.C. As he drove through the unfamiliar roads during the rainy night, his navigation directed him to drive over the collapsed Snow Creek Bridge. Paxson’s Jeep Gladiator plunged headfirst into Snow Creek where authorities eventually found him. He drowned to death after his vehicle was submerged in the water.

The lawsuit which was filed in Wake County Superior Court blames Google for not updating its navigation after the bridge collapsed nearly nine years ago. The lawsuit details that Paxson, who lived in Hickory but was new to the area, was driving on an unfamiliar route after leaving a birthday party he attended with his wife and daughters. Paxson’s wife and daughters drove home in a separate vehicle while Paxson stayed after to help clean up.

Paxson’s widow, Alicia Paxson, shares, “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.” Paxson’s widow maintains that along with the bridge owners, Google played a critical role in her husband’s death because of its negligence.

Negligence law allows victims to take civil action against an individual or entity that committed a legal wrong against the victim. When proving negligence, four elements must be present:

• The first is that a defendant must have owed a duty of care to the individual. In this case, the lawsuit argues Google owed a duty of care to drivers using its navigation system, including Paxson.
• Second, the defendant must have violated this duty of care.
• Third, causation must be present. This is the concept that a defendant’s actions were the actual cause of harm. In other words, but not for the defendant’s negligent conduct, the event that caused the injury would not have occurred.
• Finally, damages must exist. This refers to the amount of monetary loss a victim suffers because of the accident. Damages can include physical and mental injuries as well as other financial losses.

The lawsuit details that Paxson drove off an unguarded edge and plunged 20 feet below. There were no barriers or warning signs along the road that indicated the bridge ahead had collapsed.

According to reports, the bridge was not owned by city or state officials and was instead owned by a private entity. The company that owned the bridge was dissolved before the accident occurred. The former private property managers have also been named in the lawsuit.

According to Paxson’s widow, Google Maps had been notified by several individuals about the collapsed bridge, urging them to update the navigation database. Google confirmed that in November 2020, a Hickory resident complained about the bridge for the second time; however, Google continued suggesting the route to users.

The complaint highlights that Hickory resident Kim Ellis suggested an edit in a statement that read, “The bridge on 24th St PI NE that passes over Snow Creek washed away several years ago. The developers refuse to fix it, so you are not able to cross this road. GPS sends people down here which is especially dangerous for emergency vehicles. Precious time can be wasted trying to get to the other side of the neighborhood through this road, you actually have to drive several minutes out to get there. Not good! Please update this map so GPS is accurate. Thank you :)”

Google spokesperson José Castañeda has since responded to the lawsuit saying, “We have the deepest sympathies for the Paxson family,” adding, “Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in Maps and we are reviewing this lawsuit.”

In addition to the allegations of negligence made against Google, the complaint also argues that other defendants in the case had a duty to maintain the Snow Creek Bridge, including erecting and maintaining proper barricades and installing any warning signs that identified that the collapsed bridge posed a hazard.