Female Pedestrian Hit by Car Suing Google Maps

Lauren Rosenberg, a woman in Park City, Utah and her attorney have filed a lawsuit against both the driver of the car that struck her while she was walking on Utah State Route 224 and against Google for the walking directions it had provided for her.

Rosenberg reportedly utilized her Blackberry to obtain walking directions from Google Maps to get from one place to another in Park City. The walking directions provided by Google Maps instructed the user to walk a half mile down Deer Path Drive, which turned out to be State Route 224. As Rosenberg was walking down the highway, she was struck by a car, resulting in Rosenberg becoming injured.

The lawsuit filed by Rosenberg seeks $100,000.00 in damages, including medical bills, loss of wages and punitive damages from Google. The driver of the car, Patrick Harwood, that struck Ms. Rosenberg as she walked on the highway is also being sued.

The case, filed with the U.S. District Court, Central Division, Utah, alleges "As a direct and proximate cause of Defendant Google's careless, reckless and negligent providing of unsafe directions, Plaintiff Lauren Rosenberg was led onto a dangerous highway, and was thereby stricken by a motor vehicle, causing her to suffer severe permanent physical, emotional and mental injuries" (aolnews).

While the plaintiff in the case alleges that Google Maps expects those who use its services to rely on the information provided, Google Maps does provide a caveat that the walking directions are yet in beta and users should exercise caution when following the directions. This caveat can be seen when Google Maps is accessed on a PC, but not on a Blackberry due to its smaller pixel capacity.

I hope to be able to follow this case to be able to learn the outcome. I question when personal responsibility and common sense come in to play in situations such as this one.

I questioned the same thing when the woman successfully sued McDonald's when she was scalded from spilling hot coffee on her own lap. I thought the case seemed ludicrous, but my sense of justice and responsibility must be askew.

Granted, the directions provided by Google Maps, Mapquest, Rand McNally or any other web site can be expected to be helpful, but common sense must come into play. I wouldn't care who had provided directions for me, if I came across a situation that seemed unsafe, I am backing off and re-grouping. After all, I'm the one who is going to have to live with the consequences of my actions.

I hope this lawsuit has a reasonable outcome; only time will tell.

Sources: aolnews
The Money Times