Philip Paxson was a 47-year-old father of two daughters. He and his family lived in Hickory, North Carolina.
On September 30, 2022, they threw a camping-themed birthday party for one of their daughters. After the party, Philip stayed behind to help clean up, while his wife took the kids home.
Later that night, Philip used Google Maps to find his way home, since he didn’t know the area very well.
But the Map led him to drive across the Snow Creek Bridge—a bridge that had collapsed back in 2013 and was never repaired. Philip didn’t know it was gone. He followed the directions, and his car fell 20 feet into the creek below. He died, trapped inside.
Almost a year later, on September 21, 2023, Philip’s wife, Alecia Paxson, filed a lawsuit against Google and two other companies she believes played a role in her husband’s death.