A FAMILY SUES GOOGLE FOR OMISSIONS THAT IMPUTED A FATHER'S DIRECTIONS FROM A COLLAPSED US BRIDGE

Philip Paxson, aged 47, hailing from North Carolina, tragically met his demise on September 30, 2022, as his GPS unwittingly led him to an abandoned bridge that descended into a creek. He held the occupation of a medical device salesman.

The Prelude

On the fateful night of September 30, 2022, Philip Paxson, a 47-year-old patriarch of two, was traversing the roads homeward from his daughter's whimsically themed ninth birthday celebration, nestled amidst the sylvan landscapes of Hickory, a quaint locale in North Carolina.

Dependent upon Google Maps to navigate the labyrinthine paths, given his unfamiliarity with the terrain, he found himself ensconced in the embrace of darkness and inclement weather, where visibility waned.

Moreover, culpability is ascribed to the failure of authorities in duly apprising the populace of the precarious state of the bridge. The litigation contends that they transgressed state and local ordinances mandating the maintenance of the bridge's integrity or its removal in the event of disuse.

The Descent of Snow Creek Bridge, 2013

Google Maps, in its directives, led him to traverse the Snow Creek Bridge, an edifice that succumbed to collapse in 2013, remaining in a state of disrepair since. Unmarked and bereft of barricades, Paxson found himself unwittingly traversing its path, ignorant of its defunct status.

He embarked upon the bridge, only to plummet 20 feet into the chasm below, ensnared within his Jeep Gladiator, ultimately succumbing to the watery depths. He was the solitary occupant of the vehicle.

“It was a night cloaked in darkness and rain, as he obediently followed the dictates of his GPS, navigating a course that culminated in a concrete road leading to an abyss,” articulated Paxson’s mother-in-law, Linda McPhee Koenig, in a poignant Facebook post on Tuesday.

“The bridge, rent asunder [nine] years hence, remained untouched by repair, devoid of any impediments or cautionary signage, tragically claiming the life of a 47-year-old patriarch to two daughters. His absence leaves an irreplaceable void within the hearts of his kin and companions. This calamity was wholly avoidable. Our hearts are heavy with grief.”

Philip, alongside his spouse and progeny

In an interview, Alicia Paxson, Philip's wife, recounted that subsequent to the festivity, she ferried their daughters homeward in her vehicle, while he continued his journey in his own, obedient to the dictates of his technological guide."