Googleknown for its widely used mapping app, Google Maps, is facing a negligence lawsuit brought by the family of a man who He died in September last year after the app guided him across a collapsed bridge..
The family alleges that Google did not update its maps despite the fact that numerous users had pointed out the collapse and that this could have been avoided with a simple system update.
According to the report of The reason, the incident occurred when Philip Paxson drove his vehicle and fell seven meters due to the collapse of the bridge. The lawsuit claims that Google had guided Paxson over a bridge that had collapsed nine years ago and had not been repaired since. During this period, the family argues that the company had not updated its route information, despite notifications from several users.
Who is the real culprit?
The key question in this lawsuit is who is responsible: the Google Maps app or local highway authorities? The North Carolina State Patrol cited that the bridge’s original developer had dissolved, leading to several private property management companies being named as liable in the lawsuit.
Google spokesperson José Castañeda expressed his condolences to the Paxson family and stated that Google’s goal is to provide accurate route information in Maps. He added that they are reviewing the lawsuit.
Police investigations indicated that there were no warning signs or barriers along the road. The bridge was not under maintenance by local or state officials, and the original construction company had dissolved. Several individuals had informed Google Maps about the collapse in the years before the Paxson tragedy and had requested that the company update route information.
The lawsuit includes email records that show Google received these reports but, according to the lawsuit, failed to take appropriate action.