Steve Hix/Somos Images/Corbis
Sure, we all rely on technology, but remember that thing called common sense? Yeah, that’s not obsolete yet.
As originally reported by Search Engine Land, Lauren Rosenberg of Los Angeles filed a lawsuit against Google after she followed some pedestrian directions from Google Maps that told her to take a stroll down a rural highway that had no sidewalks or pedestrian paths.
Seems unwise, right? But despite these warning signs, it seems Rosenberg put all her faith in Google and took the highway anyway. Unsurprisingly for the rest of us, she was hit by a car. And even less shockingly in this litigious world, Rosenberg is now suing Google and the driver of the car that struck her for the costs of medical treatment ($100,000) and punitive damages.
In her complaint, Rosenberg states that Google “knew or should have known that Deer Valley Road, a.k.a. State Route 224 is a rural highway exhibiting vehicles traveling at a high rate of speed and devoid of pedestrian sidewalks, yet Defendant Google instructed Plaintiff Lauren Rosenberg to use that road for her pedestrian travel.” So basically, the complaint claims that Google should have known better and warned Rosenberg about the risk. The complaint fails, of course, to mention Rosenberg herself. You know, the woman standing (presumably) with two eyes and a brain, who was staring at said dangerous highway and decided to walk down it anyway.
PSA for the day: Google may seem all powerful and all knowing, but if it tells you to walk off a cliff, you really don’t have to.
Update: As PC World points out, Google Maps does include a disclaimer as warning with all walking directions: “Walking directions are in beta. Use caution–This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths.”