HICKORY, N.C. — Lawyers for the family of a man who drove off a “bridge to nowhere” in Catawba County are looking for who is responsible.
Philip John Paxson died on Sept. 30; he was unfamiliar with the area and his car was found in a ravine the next day. Neighbors say that bridge collapsed nearly a decade ago, and the road has been a problem since, but nothing has been done to fix it.
“A hazard like this should’ve been immediately corrected and it’s unbelievable for nine years they allowed this hazard to stay in this community,” Bob Zimmerman, a lawyer who is representing the family, said.
Zimmerman said Phil Paxson was using GPS to get home when he was directed down 24th Street Place NE in Hickory. They’re now calling on GPS companies to stop displaying the bridge as a possible route because it’s been out of service for nearly a decade.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Father of 2 killed in crash on 'bridge to nowhere,' troopers say
He said at least one GPS company removed the bridge as a passable route this week. Zimmerman wouldn’t say which companies they’ve been in contact with but are hoping others follow suit.
“It shouldn’t have taken this long, and it shouldn’t have taken something like this to happen,” Zimmerman, who is an attorney with Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky based out of Philadelphia, said.
Zimmerman said it is still unclear who owns and should maintain the road. Both NCDOT and Catawba County officials say it is a private road, and not theirs to maintain.
The bridge was washed out and hasn’t been fixed for nine years, but the Paxsons are new to the area.
“There are no signs from the home that the children’s birthday party was at to here to give him any notice that this was an issue,” Zimmerman said.
A memorial next to the bridge is growing. There are pictures of happier memories and a final “I love you” from his children.
“He was the silly one, the fun one, the dance parties, the donuts, the McDonald's all in the same day,” Phil’s wife Alicia Paxson said.
She is hoping for answers as to how this could’ve happened.
“When you see this here and you actually come out, it’s really unbelievable and what we’re going through is just unimaginable and my girls, I’m so sad for them and their father they have lost,” she said. “I don’t want people to think I don’t want it to go down as another accident. I want some answers and not just excuses.”
She believes it was preventable and is hoping a change will finally be made.
“I just want his death not to be for nothing," Alicia Paxson said. "I don’t want this to happen to someone else. He was a wonderful father and a good husband."
Lawyers are planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit in the coming months.
Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ALSO ON WCNC CHARLOTTE: A new procedure could change the outcome for pediatric cancer patients. Most insurances don't cover it