# Google maps sued for drowning death
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 26, 2023, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720 "2023-09-26T12:58:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/21 "2023-09-26T14:18:03Z")
And it’s always possible that you _can’t_ retrace your path due to one-way streets or other road limitations.
If I was going to a party at a location I was unfamiliar with I would absolutely use GPS in both directions and not assume that the return route was just a retracing of the path I took to get there.
I think the primary blame here lies with whoever is responsible for maintaining/marking that bridge. That is a serious hazard. I can easily see not noticing it was out on a dark and stormy night, particularly if my GPS was telling me it was good. And triply-so after a party where I might not be paying 100% attention (due to various reasons).
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/22 "2023-09-26T14:19:42Z")
I’m just saying that at this early stage, it’s entirely reasonable for the plaintiff to name Google. They’re putting out e-maps and inviting people to rely on them. If they show a non-existent bridge, that’s potentially grounds for liability. And if they didn’t have a system in place to respond to warnings that they showed non-existent bridges on their maps, I could see an argument tag too is grounds for liability. What was their duty of care in this situation?
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/23 "2023-09-26T14:22:28Z")
People saying “make Google pay” should consider the consequences. Unless there is some unusual specific negligence involved here, we would likely _all_ pay if a precedent of liability is set. Potential liability for accidents might result in mapping services taking a more conservative approach and simply withdrawing service in remote areas when any uncertainty exists.
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/24 "2023-09-26T14:24:34Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#):
>
> I’m just saying that at this early stage, it’s entirely reasonable for the plaintiff to name Google.
Oh, sure. I understand the principle that you sue everyone that _might_ be liable, as laid out eloquently by @Procrustus. I thought we’d moved past that.
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/25 "2023-09-26T14:25:05Z")
> [@griffin1977](#):
>
> The “number of private property management companies who were responsible for the land where the crash happened” as quoted in the article.
Thanks. I generally think of “agency” as referring to public entities. Tho I guess there are travel and insurance agencies.
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/26 "2023-09-26T14:32:39Z")
What does Google say WRT how they wish people to use their app? Without diving into the terms and conditions, from this user’s superficial perspective, it seems as tho they intend their directions to be something drivers can rely on. No, you should not abandon all care, but I’ve never gotten the perception that Google wishes every aspect of their maps to be presumed unreliable.
It is always surprising to see how differently different people think and act. I have a hard time imagining myself needing a navigation app to direct me to any place within 5 miles of any place where I have lived for any number of months. I might look an address up to get an idea of where it is and recommended routes, but I guess I’ve made the conscious decision to NOT offload my responsibility for being aware of my surroundings and my ability to navigate around them.
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/27 "2023-09-26T14:36:49Z")
There’s a related issue I’ve often wondered about. I spend a lot of time hiking and scrambling off trail in remote backcountry areas. There are online hiking/climbing groups where people who have used routes provide “beta” for others. This is informal guidance on whether routes exist at all, routefinding guidance and level of difficulty. People with extensive experience have also written books, of course.
I think there’s an informal understanding in all communities that it’s _caveat emptor_, and of course there is no absolute measure of what is “safe” - it will depend entirely on the skills of the individual.
I think if anyone were ever successfully sued for giving bad beta (absent actual malice) it would be a disaster for these informal communities, and make hiking and climbing far more dangerous, because people would simply be unwilling to pass on their experience.
Of course, Google et al are commercial entities, so it’s not exactly the same. But we need to think carefully about what our expectations should be for liability.
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### Author:  [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/28 "2023-09-26T14:38:34Z")
When we were house shopping as part of a cross country move I would Mapquest (this was almost 20 years ago) the route from the houses that the real estate agent had lined up for us to see to my new workplace.
We saw a house we liked and it seemed like the commute was about 9 miles, 20 minutes. Fortunately I’m a paranoid dude and I set out to follow those directions on a Monday morning at 7:30 to see what the real life traffic conditions would be. Before I would put in an offer. My wife thought this was insane.
Yup, the MapQuest route took you through a state park which you could not drive through. You could enter at three points but there were big metal barriers to prevent you from driving through. You came in from entrance A, you left from entrance A. One of the routes had been cut off by a reservoir more than 20 years earlier. About a quarter mile of the road was under several feet of water most of the year.
We also had a Tom-Tom GPS device 15-20 years ago. It also directed you onto roads that were blocked off, prohibited or physically impassable. On a fairly regular basis. Even though we frequently downloaded the map updates.
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/29 "2023-09-26T14:38:44Z")
But these hiking/climbing groups are not for-profit entities, are they? (I ASSUME GoogleMaps is monetized somehow.)
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/30 "2023-09-26T14:40:19Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#):
>
> It is always surprising to see how differently different people think and act. I have a hard time imagining myself needing a navigation app to direct me to any place within 5 miles of any place where I have lived for any number of months. I might look an address up to get an idea of where it is and recommended routes, but I guess I’ve made the conscious decision to NOT offload my responsibility for being aware of my surroundings and my ability to navigate around them.
Again, some people, me included, lack a sense of direction. I simply don’t have that ability. I’m not off loading my responsibility. I’m using a tool to compensate for a lack of ability. It would be great if they had an equivalent one for those lacking in empathy.
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### Author:  [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/31 "2023-09-26T14:44:09Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> Again, some people, me included, lack a sense of direction.
Same here. I use Maps for short trips in areas I should know all the time.
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/32 "2023-09-26T14:44:33Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#):
>
> But these hiking/climbing groups are not for-profit entities, are they? (I ASSUME GoogleMaps is monetized somehow.)
Sure, a commercial entity is more likely to be successfully sued.
But I’m pointing out that the potential _consequences_ are similar. Withdrawal of service.
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### Author:  [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/33 "2023-09-26T14:45:54Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#):
>
> It is always surprising to see how differently different people think and act. I have a hard time imagining myself needing a navigation app to direct me to any place within 5 miles of any place where I have lived for any number of months. I might look an address up to get an idea of where it is and recommended routes, but I guess I’ve made the conscious decision to NOT offload my responsibility for being aware of my surroundings and my ability to navigate around them.
For myself, I always use a navigation app because it lets me focus on operating the vehicle instead of thinking about the next turn. I’ll do a sanity check on the nav’s route before I leave, but after that just let it do its thing. And I can pay better attention to traffic and other impediments to safe travel.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/34 "2023-09-26T14:47:04Z")
I could have sworn I had in the past been prompted to check a box to acknowledge a disclaimer that driving was my responsibility and to look at the road, not the map, but I haven’t seen that for a while.
When I go to use the ‘live’ AR view in Google Maps (which I’ve never tried until just now), I get:
> ‘Remember to obey the law and pay attention to your surroundings, especially at junctions’
So I assume the disclaimer box on the regular maps might have just remembered my acknowledgment and stopped asking me to reconfirm something I already accepted.
The Terms of service state:
> **Actual Conditions; Assumption of Risk**
> When you use Google Maps/Google Earth’s map data, traffic, directions and other content, you may find that actual conditions differ from the map results and content, so exercise your independent judgment and use Google Maps/Google Earth at your own risk. You’re responsible at all times for your conduct and its consequences.
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/35 "2023-09-26T14:53:56Z")
> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> The Terms of service state:
“The area you are approaching may contain nuts.”
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### Author:  [@onedayfishsale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onedayfishsale)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/36 "2023-09-26T14:54:08Z")
Here’s the street view (might have missed it posted earlier).
> **[2415 36th Ave NE · 2415 36th Ave NE, Hickory, NC 28601](https://maps.app.goo.gl/M6p8wYrLYnmMXBjC7)**
>
> Building
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### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/37 "2023-09-26T14:54:49Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#):
>
> Are you sure about that?
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#):
>
> Zoom in and you can see the bridge in satellite view, although obviously Google are no longer showing it as a road in map view.
Your pin is pointing at a house. The “bridge” is buried in some trees. Here is the street view. interestingly, it has barricades! Something isn’t right.
Map
> **[35°46'54.1"N 81°16'59.7"W](https://maps.app.goo.gl/eFamL5ikY4yTE1an8)**
>
> Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
Street view
> **[2415 36th Ave NE · 2415 36th Ave NE, Hickory, NC 28601](https://maps.app.goo.gl/cMrczC9MB8pCRJ86A)**
>
> Building
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### Author:  [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/38 "2023-09-26T14:55:07Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#):
>
> I have a hard time imagining myself needing a navigation app to direct me to any place within 5 miles of any place where I have lived for any number of months.
That probably depends a lot on where you live - I would absolutely use a GPS for a place within 5 miles of home where I have never been before. Otherwise, I won’t know about one way streets , dead end streets, places where I have to drive out of the way to get to an overpass/underpass.
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### Author:  [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/39 "2023-09-26T14:56:19Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> Here is the street view. interestingly, it has barricades! Something isn’t right.
I remember reading in one news report that the absence of barricades was attributed to “vandalism”, without any explanation of exactly what that meant.
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### Author:  [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-maps-sued-for-drowning-death/990720/40 "2023-09-26T15:01:00Z")
> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> **Actual Conditions; Assumption of Risk**
> When you use Google Maps/Google Earth’s map data, traffic, directions and other content, you may find that actual conditions differ from the map results and content, so exercise your independent judgment and use Google Maps/Google Earth at your own risk. You’re responsible at all times for your conduct and its consequences.
This used to be a pop up you had to accept before using Google Maps. IIRC when Maps was still in its (infamously long) beta stage.
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