CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — The family of a North Carolina father who died when his GPS map directions drove him off a "bridge to nowhere" filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging negligence for the closed road.
It's been almost a year since beloved father Phil Paxson drove off a collapsed bridge in Catawba County and died. The collapsed bridge is located on a private road and has been a concern for neighbors in the area since 2013. But it wasn't until 2022 that the so-called "bridge to nowhere" led to tragedy for Paxson's family.
On Wednesday, Phil's wife Alicia Paxson, represented by Saltz, Mongeluzzi and Bendesky, announced a lawsuit in his death against Google. It was filed in Wake County, where the tech giant maintains a registered office. They claim directions provided by the Google Maps application ultimately led to Phil Paxson's death.
“I just struggle every day to understand how something so unimaginable and horrific could be allowed to happen,” Alicia Paxson said.
On Sept. 30, 2022, Phil Paxson was with his family at a friend’s home celebrating his daughter’s birthday. At the end of the night, his wife took one car with the kids back home and he stayed behind to help clean up.
Shortly before leaving, Alicia said Phil added the directions to his home to Google Maps. Those directions reportedly took him to the collapsed bridge over Snow Creek northeast of Hickory, which his wife's attorneys say didn't show up on the map.
“It was dark, and it was raining outside,” attorney Robert Zimmerman said. “We allege, based on our investigation, that Google directed him over the Snow Creek bridge within this development.”
Phil’s Jeep was found the next morning flipped over in the creek where he drowned.
“It's really impossible to comprehend how those responsible for the Google Maps GPS misdirection, and neglected on barricaded, collapsed bridge could have just such disregard and negligence for human life,” Alicia Paxson said.
Paxson's legal team accused Google of not updating the map even after the company was supposedly notified of the danger. They provided a complaint submitted by a Google Maps user
“We blacked out their information, but you can see what they wrote: 'The bridge over Snow Creek washed away several years ago with no plans in place to repair it. Please make this road reflect that on Google Maps,'” attorney Michael Benz said.
That report was sent in September 2020, and the same user put in another complaint to Google two months later. But nothing was done about it.
The legal team also noted the road is accurately represented as unpassable on rival service MapQuest. WCNC Charlotte reviewed two screenshots showing the bridge's location. The screenshot from the MapQuest mobile app does show a break in the bridge as if it were two roads that weren't connected. The screenshot from the Google Maps app, however, does not reflect this.
Paxson's legal team also wants the land developers to be held accountable: North Carolina-based Tarde LLC, James Talton, and Hinckley Gauvain, who have been identified as the owners.
PREVIOUSLY: Lawyers looking into who can be held responsible after man drove off a 'bridge to nowhere' in Catawba County
“We are filing this lawsuit as a matter of public safety,” Zimmerman said. “Those responsible for our roadways need to know that inaction has consequences. We believe that when someone develops a neighborhood, it doesn't end when they sell the houses.”
Although the partnership dissolved, Zimmerman said they find them responsible for the neglected and unprotected section of the bridge that collapsed
“We allege the bridge defendants failed to maintain adequate guards, warning signs, and the light to alert drivers of the canyon,” he continued.
Because it is a private road, both Catawba County and the North Carolina Department of Transportation say they have no authority to fix it.
“Our investigation revealed that the developers never turned the roads over to the North Carolina Department of Transportation and never set up appropriate maintenance agreements for the road,” Zimmerman said.
Concrete barricades are on both sides of the road, placed by community members after the tragic accident. A memorial grew right at the edge of the collapsed section last year. Now, Alicia Paxson wants answers and a way to close this chapter for her family.
“We owe it to Phil and to his girls and to this community to find some sort of justice, if that's possible, and just to ensure that no other tragedy like this happens to any other family and any other senseless loss of life happens,” she said. “I still don't have the answer to tell my daughters, I don't have the answers to the question 'Why is daddy gone? And why isn't he coming back?'"
Not having those answers has been challenging, but Alicia Paxson said the family does what they can to keep the light Phil had burning brightly.
“We have good and bad days, and we try to keep his memory alive,” Paxson said. “We talk about him, we watch videos, we laugh about silly jokes that he always would play. We try to keep doing the things that we enjoyed before. It's just really hard to find joy when you know, such a huge part of your family is missing.”
Google responded with this statement when asked by WCNC Charlotte about the lawsuit:
"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."
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.