Family Slamming Google After Father Was Directed To Drive Across A Collapsed Bridge

A North Carolina family is going after Google after a traveling father drove off a bridge while following directions on Google Maps.

Phil Paxson passed away on September 30th, 2022, when he drove off a bridge in Hickory that had been collapsed for nine years. There were no barriers or warnings signaling drivers that there was a downed roadway ahead. Unfortunately, Google Maps had not updated, so Paxson wasn’t unaware he was driving directly into danger when he was instructed to cross the area on his route. Sadly, he was found drowned in a river below the remains of the bridge. Paxson was headed home from his nine-year-old daughter’s birthday.

“It was a dark and rainy night, and he was following his GPS, which led him down a concrete road to a bridge that dropped off into a river,” a loved one wrote in a Facebook post. Aside from Google, the family is also suing the agencies responsible for landscaping and repairs in the region.

Multiple residents who live near the wrecked bridge have used the “suggest an edit” function on Google to have the maps corrected. Unfortunately, Google never followed up. Those who live close to the crash site have also asked local officials to fix the area for years or at least have it secured. Their pleas were also ignored, despite drivers before Paxson mistakenly trying to cross the bridge.

Google did not comment on prior complaints about updating their maps of the area. However, they did tell CNN they are “reviewing this lawsuit.”

The family is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.