Family sues Google, Maps led father to drive off collapsed bridge to his death | Hacker News Reader

Family sues Google, Maps led father to drive off collapsed bridge to his death

cnn.com

23 pointslando23199 comments

Yikes. Jaded perhaps, I read the headline and assumed it was another frivolous suit, but this poor guy had everyone working against him. I'm not sure who all is to blame, but the setup is ridiculous.

A bridge collapsed for years, with no barricade and likely inadequate or non-existent signage? Insane. People asking Google to remove the route, and them just completely ignoring it? Also pretty damning IMO.

I hope this family finds whatever peace they're able to obtain.

If the facts as presented are indeed true, this suit seems to hinge on the question of whether entities publishing information intended for use have any liability at all? Like if you say “here’s information you can use for X” and then someone is harmed by using that information for X, do you (well, do publishers) have any responsibility ever?

Because if they do, and the facts are correct, you’d think that in this case they should. But maybe they just… never have any liability at all? And can make boatloads of cash without worrying.

If A says "take a left and then a right" and the road owned by C is [closed] when B follows said directions which they have not paid A for, is B liable?

Can anyone try to give directions without liability for road conditions?

Should A be responsible for putting signs on a dangerous bridge that A does not own or operate?

Is this a reasonable expectation of a free maps service with a disclaimer?

Without an explicit contract for service, a person could not reasonably collect damages for a map not showing that a road is closed.

The driver retains responsibility for the safe operation of their vehicle; regardless of the quality of the map.

"YMMV".

No map provider could reasonably operate with liability for transient objects or trap streets in the road.

Neither could an encyclopedia operate if liable for dated information.

A maps provider could indicate uncertainty when credible data contradicts the current model; but this is not the burden of service of a maps provider indeed with terms of service.

Yeah exactly the question. I doubt there’s an objective answer, more a subjective decision society makes about what is “right”.

Personally I’m fine with saying “I give you directions but it’s on you to execute them safely”. And incurring no liability. But if I intentionally direct you over a cliff (not just negligently, but intentionally) then I have some (but not 100% — after all, you still have to operate your vehicle safely) liability.

But again I think that’s pretty subjective, like it feels “fair” but who cares about my opinion?

Attempted murder is a pretty serious charge, no?

https://amphetamem.es/meme?id=the-simpsons_06_05_78&timestam...

* insurance is likely the source of the lawsuit. They throw spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. I find it unlikely to be successfull. They would have more success going after the entity gov responsible that did not barricade the collapsed bridge.

That makes sense as this sure feels like a long shot. Not marking a big road hazard like that for years seems negligent to me. Maps are inherently unable to show all things that could alter a road, the driver should always judge if they are operating on out of date information. If it simply seems odd I'll try it (I've found a few routes like that that made a lot of sense that I never would have thought of) but if it's unreasonable don't do it!

Ars article has photos of the bridge:

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/09/lawsuit-says-man...

Reporting at the time of the accident:

https://www.wcnc.com/article/traffic/catawba-county-deadly-c...

It's a private road which is why the county/state hadn't repaired it.

Google Maps no longer shows the road going through but if you switch to street view you can "drive" over the bridge from before it collapsed. Here's street view from on top of the former bridge:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/2yiQG1NBanpnVdav8

Reply on news.ycombinator.com