Lawsuit filed against Google, Private Road Owners, After Motorist Misguided By Dangerously Outdated Google Maps Fatally Crashed Off North Carolina ‘Bridge to Nowhere’
Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky seeks justice for Philip Paxson’s widow and young daughters
Hickory, NC (September 20, 2023) – Google is among the defendants named in a negligence lawsuit filed yesterday alleging that the September 30, 2022, drowning death of North Carolina motorist Philip Paxson occurred because directions from Google Maps misguided him to his death over a long collapsed bridge. Mr. Paxson’s family is represented by the Philadelphia-based law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky and the lawsuit (A. Paxson v. Google, LLC, Tarde, LLC, et al./ 23CV026335-910) was filed in North Carolina Superior Court, Wake County by local co-counsel from the Ricci Law Firm.
Mr. Paxson was a beloved veteran, husband, and father of two young daughters. The incident occurred shortly after he and his family moved from Florida to Hickory, North Carolina. They planned a camping trip for the weekend of September 30th with new friends in town to celebrate the birthdays of Philip’s then nine-year-old daughter and their friends’ son. Due to rain, plans changed to an at-home camp-themed children’s party at their friends’ house. Philip’s wife, Alicia,) drove to the party early to set up decorations. Philip helped to get the girls ready and arrive with them shortly after Alicia. Afterward, Alicia drove their daughters home, Philip stayed to help with cleanup. Unfamiliar with local roads, he relied on Google Maps, expecting it would safely direct him home to his wife and daughters. Tragically, as he drove cautiously in the darkness and rain, he unsuspectingly followed Google’s outdated directions to what his family later learned for nearly a decade was called the “Bridge to Nowhere,” crashing into Snow Creek, where he drowned. The complaint alleges Hickory residents repeatedly tried to get Google Maps to route traffic away from the washed-out, collapsed bridge, and to get the owners of the hazardous private road/bridge to fix the danger and erect proper barriers and warning signs until it was safe.
California-headquartered Google (GOOGL: NASDAQ) owns, operates, and is responsible for updating Google Maps. The other defendants, North Carolina-based Tarde, LLC, James Tarlton, and Hinckley Gauvain, LLC, have been identified as the owners and responsible parties of the chronically neglected, unprotected section of the collapsed bridge (Above: Law firm photo) along 24th St. Pl. NE, that posed the extreme danger.
Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky Attorney Robert W. Zimmerman said following the filing, “For nine years, the community of Hickory was needlessly and senselessly placed at risk, when a road-bridge collapsed in 2013, and when one of the largest companies in the world refused to correct its mapping algorithms despite repeated pleas. 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. We’ve 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. Philip’s widow Alicia is adamant we do everything possible to obtain justice and make sure something like this tragic nightmare cannot happen to another family.”
Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky managing partner Larry Bendesky added, “Mr. Paxson was completely unaware that the Snow Creek Bridge collapsed in 2013, just like others who narrowly escaped the same fate. Like so many motorists, Philip put his trust in Google Maps to safely guide him home from the children’s birthday party. His trust in Google Maps, and the failure of the road and bridge-keepers to do their jobs, cost him his life.” Besides Mr. Bendesky and Mr. Zimmerman, the family’s legal includes attorney Michael T. Benz.
Specific to Google, the complaint details the failure of the technology defendants to “direct their customers along safe and navigable roadways.” It alleges Google failed to live up to its assurances to timely update its Maps and instead provided an unnavigable route to Mr. Paxson. The lawsuit documents complaints from users and citizens of grievous map errors. The attorneys expect even more complaints will be revealed when Google must respond to discovery requests in the litigation.
Alicia Paxson said after the filing, “My daughters (Philip and daughters: Family photo) spent their first Father’s Day without their Dad. They should have been celebrating and spending time with Philip, who devoted his life to his family. Instead, they had to look across the dinner table and see an empty chair. 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. Google ignored the concerned community voices telling them to change its map and directions. No one should ever lose a loved one this way, and we want to make sure our voices are heard.”
Shockingly, even after Google was made aware of this death, the collapsed bridge was still depicted on Google Maps as a passable road. The Complaint alleges the owners of the road breached their duty under North Carolina law to maintain the Snow Creek Bridge, including maintenance of the bridge, and erecting and maintaining proper barricades and warning signs. The family is co-represented by Brian Ricci and Meredith Hinton from Ricci Law Firm.
Note: All requests for interviews should be directed to the below contacts. Additional information, including photos, is available at https://www.smbb.com/NCRoadToNowherefatality/
Contacts:
Robert W. Zimmerman / rzimmerman@smbb.com / 267-872-3430
Steph Rosenfeld / steph@idadvisors.com / 215-514-4101