Woman Sues Google for Bad Directions, Accident
A woman is suing Google for telling her to walk down a rural highway. Doh.
There should be a law against filing frivolous lawsuits. Case in point: a woman is now suing Google for leading her onto a rural Utah highway. Most consumers who use GPS-based directions already know that it's not a perfect technology. It can't tell if a portion of a road has been turned into a sidewalk. In fact, it's really not the brightest in giving the best directions, sometimes making users take longer, unnecessary routes when quicker, shorter avenues are in plain sight.
It this case, Los Angeles, California native Lauren Rosenberg said that Google Maps gave her bad directions by telling her to walk down a rural highway. Naturally there were no sidewalk or pedestrian pathways, just loads of hot pavement. Along the way Rosenberg was struck down by a car, and now Google is somehow to blame for her walking down the center of the highway. Although she is suing the actual driver--Patrick Harwood of Park city, Utah--she's also going after the search engine giant for $100,000 in medical expenses and additional punitive damages.
"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 sever permanent physical, emotional, and mental injuries, including pain and suffering," reads the complaint filing.
Does she have a case? Probably not. Google makes it clear that the walking directions are in beta, and that they currently may not provide routes with sidewalks or pedestrian paths. Users of Google Maps are warned to use caution. The drawback to this case is that the warning doesn't appear on the mobile version of Google Maps (in this case her BlackBerry smartphone), only on the PC. But that fact shouldn't matter--common sense suggests that pedestrians keep to the side of the road, not traverse down the center.
Currently Google has not issued a statement. They're probably rendered speechless.
- CTA's Inflatable Wii Racecar is Awesome
- Bangladesh Bans Facebook
- iPed: The Chinese Knock-off iPad Running Android
- COMPUTEX 2010 Day 0: Too Much Paper!
- Girl Gets 'Schoolgirl' Porn Instead of DVD Yearbook
- Classic Nintendo Games in Stop-Motion Animation
- Fantasy Maps Made in CryEngine Are Eye-Popping
- Gamer Beats Super Mario Bros. With Dance Pad
- Super Mario Bros. Crossover is Most Ingenious
- Biwin's USB Drive for Beer Drinkers
- VIDEO: Jobs Introduces iPad to Rebel Alliance
- The Asus Waveface Concept Devices
- MSFT Retaliates Against Google's Security Claims
- Google Launching Chrome OS This Fall
- Samsung Wave Comes Packed with Trojan
- RUMOR: Apple's iPad May Be Heading to Verizon
- Microsoft Revealing Hulu for Xbox in Two Weeks?
- Sanyo Shows Off Waterproof Full HD Video Cam
They should sue her for wasting time.
do people get stupider every day?
I'm pretty sure there is a law saying pedestrians cant walk in the middle of a highway, just like how cars cant drive on sidewalks..
Stupid lady. Isn't there a disclaimer on the site saying "only use this if you are not a retard" -- sorry, it says
"
These directions are for planning purposes only. You may find that construction projects, traffic, weather, or other events may cause conditions to differ from the map results, and you should plan your route accordingly. You must obey all signs or notices regarding your route.
"
do people get stupider every day?
You shouldn't even need to ask, the answer is yes. lol
My faith would be restored in the courts if they threw out the case and instead fined her for jaywalking.
It is so sad that some people are so stupid... Also unfortunate that in USA, people tend to sue for anything just to get a buck...
Word of advice, if you are on vacation somewhere in the states and someone falls off his bicycle not too far, don't help him, you might get sued for causing his fall.
They should sue her for wasting time.
they should sue her for being too stupid, and remove her driving license since it`s clear that she can`t user her brain.
Walking through the highway is like jumping off a cliff. All I have to say is "LMFAO" then try to sue someone because she made the choice to walk through it and get hit by a car.
On a side note i saw a woman jogging onto the off ramp of Route 128 yesterday. Wearing her jogging gear and listening to music on her iPod. I thought she was crazy as cars coming down the off ram are going between 35-50. She didnt even jog on the grass.. When i started reading this article I thought it was her
Only in the USA ............... number 1 dumbest country on this planet.
Only in the USA ............... number 1 dumbest country on this planet.
That was uncalled for, you troll.
Give me a break!! What else is there to say. To Ciuy comment, above, you are dumb!! Countres are not dumb, people are. They are everywhere not just in the USA!!
there is no "common sense" in law.
If that's how things go we should have sued Garmin, TomTom, Magellan, etc.
I lost count about the times I was sent either to the wrong street, city or neighborhood while using a GPS.
Even though this women doesn't seem to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, I still admit I feel bad she got hurt. But a point I'd like to make.
In the article it says:
.
If the word "BlackBerry" were replaced with the word "iPhone" I bet you all would be bashing her a lot more than you already are. Just saying...
I think we need to add more chlorine to the gene pool. Thanks Google for your part... better luck next time.
what if, while using google maps (mobile), a bird flew into her face and left a permanent scar or perhaps while walking through the park, while using google maps, a coyote ran out and bit her, would she still try to sue? Probably so...
The people of California need to sue her for being retarded, her parents for reproducing, any school she went to for being a school, etc...
I'm so sick of people always looking for an easy payday. The lawyers that bring these lawsuits are nothing but overeducated parasites. They contribute NOTHING to the fabric of society and only exist to facilitate extortion by fiat.
GPS based roadmaps are notorious for giving less than ideal directions (and in some cases leading you completely in the wrong direction). I remember one trip where we were trying to get to camping area in southern Colorado. Microsoft Streets and Trips directed us to this one route that would have us there in no time. Unfortunately, after climbing a winding mountain route, we discovered that the last few miles of the route was a foot path and not accessible to vehicles. Great... back out to the highway and a 150 mile detour to get to the campsite. Now it's something that we look back on and laugh about.
If Google told you to jump off a bridge...
what people would do to try and make an easy dollar
I knew there was a disclaimer, so I did a Google Map search, asking for directions. Here's the disclaimer right under the directions:
I guess they have to add another line, "Please also use common sense, or purchase some if you have none."
No different than the people who drive into cornfields or rivers when their GPS tells them there's road there...
Sometimes I wonder how these people ever make it into adulthood...
of Google Maps (in this case her BlackBerry smartphone), only on the PC.
LOL Forget my previous comment I guess. Missed this part of the article.
Still, the woman needs a lesson in using her own brain. You don't just walk down the middle of a street.
Were her eyes closed. Did it look safe. Did google push her or something. Stupid people should have to put up a percentage of the court costs if they are held liable for them and lawyers should be held accountable too.
I hope she wins, software that can result in a death or dangerous situation has different criteria then consumer apps.
This would be a wake up call to google to pay attention what the hell they are doing.
Would you not be pissed if you found out some highschool intern was designing flight software in a passenger jet? Hell yes.
2 words: Natural selection...
Only in the USA ............... number 1 dumbest country on this planet.
Not true, I was born and raised a U.S. citizen, and at age 16 I can easily say I am far more intelligent than this woman as I generally disobey 50% of my GPS's orders when I know a slightly better route.
Don't just judge the 1-5% of completely clueless people in a country because they make the news when the fairly normal or "Average" 95% are absolutely fine.
I hope she wins, software that can result in a death or dangerous situation has different criteria then consumer apps.This would be a wake up call to google to pay attention what the hell they are doing.Would you not be pissed if you found out some highschool intern was designing flight software in a passenger jet? Hell yes.
The "software" that was lacking in this case was the brain that this person supposedly has and the ability to use it!
I guess since it doesn't come with an instruction manual she was totally lost about how to think about "self-preservation!"
Lord_Orion... did you even read the article..?
Did google push her or something.
It must have been that guy from the April Fools 'Wave' commercial. Find it on YouTube and watch it.