Tech company faces negligence lawsuit after Philip Paxson died from driving off a North Carolina bridge destroyed years ago
Discuss!
Google Maps gave incorrect routing advice resulting (on their part) in a person’s death. It was a decade out of date, it had been brought to their attention and they did nothing. They still used that data in their routing. Obviously they have some sort of responsibility here imo.
There are hundreds of sources for map data and I bet you most of them aren’t up to date.
Idk why you think I’d think differently if it was some other company, routing provider etc. If it was a municipal roadside map that showed that you’re free to drive off that bridge then it would be the same. Or even a private roadside tourism map.
resulting (on their part) in a person’s death.
Nope.
If the bridge had collapsed a few hours ago. No one would know. Due to this being a real risk. Just like anyone reading an older paper map. The driver of any car is entirely responsible for looking where they are going. Not some 3rd party navigation source.
Evidence that google is crap. In no way shape or form makes them legally responsible for your visual attention while driving. You are.
And google has faced these cases in a number of nations. Through out the erly addoption of GPS navigation in the 2000s. We saw many cases of folks driving into lakes and rivers. Because they were stupid enouth to trust the GPS system. Rather then use the minimal common sense of watching where they are driving.
Google map quest and all others never faced and requirement to take responsibility for drivers inability to drive.
After a decade. The local authority bears responsibility for failing to signpost. Or hell fix th fucking bridge. But even then nope if your driving, how long its been down. In no way relieves you of the standard job. Of watching where the hell you are going. Just means the local auth need to lose there jobs/ 10 years ago.
Guess what. Old folks crossing the road and falling over. Can happen with little notice. But if you come around a corner. And are not paying attention to the road. The fact that a little old lady fell and knocked herself out. Guess who is legally responsible for failing to drive safly when you crush the poor ladies head.
As someone with mobility and vision issues. Who is at high risk of losing my balance when travelling. It really fucks me off how many drivers fail to realise. They are responsible for driving a multi ton potential killing machine. And share the environment with the whole of society.
As soon as they abdicate that responsibility. Thay are basically saying people like me must remain locked in our houses.
Of course they had a part in the death. They routed him over a broken bridge. That’s their part of it. And not fixing the map after being told about the issue. Thinking they didn’t have any part in this seems bizarre.
There’s two problems here.
Firstly the map is out of date.
Secondly the road wasn’t blocked off.
The map been out of date is not criminal there’s no legal requirement that maps are accurate. However there is a legal requirement that a road is blocked off.
It’s the state that’s ultimately responsible not some GPS company. The above response right, how does it make any difference how long the bridge has been out for? Google aren’t actually responsible for updating a section of their map, Yes it would be great if they would do it, but they’re not actually legally required to do it.
You’re expectations of Google would be like demanding that the map company who printed maps must provide a free, updated map every time that the roads change. Life doesn’t work that way - sometimes people need to take responsibility for their own stupidity.
NAL, but I think part of it is that Google does update its map regularly (you see the latest edition whenever you access it online)
Where Google arguably failed was, despite having a system to report discrepancies which people used for this collapsed bridge, Google failed to make the routing changes that could be reasonably expected by 5+ years. They could have used some combination of satellite images, user reports, the Google car etc.
Even if you were to compare it to paper media: If you published a new edition twice a year, you had incorrect information, people reported it to you yet you still failed to correct it for 10+ editions and it causes harm to someone, then as a publisher you may be liable.
No it isn’t? My expectation is that if someone guides someone poorly then of course they have some responsibility and part in their death. Honestly it’s simple as that and it just seems like common sense.
No it isn’t?
Yes it very literally is.
A driver has ultimate responsibility for where they drive their car, that’s not up for debate.
Google is providing guidance, sure, but the driver, by virtue of being present, having eyes and a brain, and controlling the fucking vehicle is the one responsible for where the vehicle goes.
You may have a (very good) point if this was a self driving car and Google was partially or wholly responsible for the actual motion of the vehicle.
But that’s not what happened.
Google’s guidance is nothing more than them saying, “Based on our data, this is the route we think you should take.” Obviously the driver has better data on local conditions than Google.
That being said, local authorities are to blame for improper signage and safety features. While Google isn’t responsible for road conditions and safety, some government or another absolutely is, and they are absolutely a valid target for a lawsuit, as they should be.
That you think Google shoulders blame in this is actually kind of a sad commentary on how some of society views personal responsibility.
If I buy a map I don’t just drive down the road not looking out the window. The bridge could have washed out that night I would never expect a map to cover that a map is for planning a route…I would be pissed off that it had led me down a dead end and I had to stop and turn around so I might ask for money back on the map but the death and driving off a road is not on the map
Not their problem. You can expand your definition of liability ad-nausium.
Bizarre thinking. Some rest stop owner puts up a tourist map pointing someone off a bridge and they wouldn’t hold any responsibility in your mind, not a tiny bit of moral responsibility if someone drove off the bridge while following the map’s advice?
In what world are you holding corporations to moral rather than legal definitions? This is about legal liability.
