AceBreakingNews – The family of a man who died after driving his car off of a collapsed bridge in North Carolina while following Google Maps directions have filed a lawsuit against the technology giant.

Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Sept.20: 2023: AP News Agency & ABC News Reports: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/+PuI36tlDsM7GpOJe

Father of two Philip Paxson was driving home from his nine-year-old daughter’s birthday party late at night when he drove his car off the bridge into Snow Creek in Hickory on September 30, 2022.

His body was found inside the overturned and partially submerged car, six metres below an unguarded edge.

The bridge, which the family say they later learned was called the “Bridge to Nowhere” by locals, had collapsed in 2013.

Police have said there were no warning signs or barriers on the road at the time.

The family’s lawyer Robert W Zimmerman said the bridge had been “needlessly and senselessly” put at risk.

“For years before this tragedy, Hickory residents asked for the road to be fixed or properly barricaded before someone was hurt or killed,” he said.

Lawyer Larry Bendesky, also part of the family’s legal team, said Mr Paxson had trusted Google Maps “like so many motorists”.

“His trust in Google Maps, and the failure of the road and bridge-keepers to do their jobs, cost him his life,” he said.

The lawsuit filed by the family also takes aim at the owners and officials responsible for maintenance of the bridge.

Philip’s wife Alicia Paxson said her daughters had just marked their first Father’s Day without him.

“They should have been celebrating and spending (Father’s Day) with Philip, who devoted his life to his family,” she said.

“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.”

A November 2020 email included in court documents confirmed Google was reviewing a suggested change to the map at the time.

Google spokesperson José Castañeda told The Associated Press:

“ We have the deepest sympathies for the Paxson family. Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in Maps and we are reviewing this lawsuit.”

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