Woman Sues Google After She Follows Google Maps Directions And Gets Hit By A Car
from the personal-responsibility? dept
There have been plenty of stories over the years of drivers blindly following their GPS over a cliff or onto railroad tracks. After doing such things, it may be natural for the driver to blame the technology, though it's unlikely to help you out much in court. However, it appears that one pedestrian has taken things a step further. After using Google's "still in beta" (for a good reason) "walking directions" while trying to get somewhere in Park City, Utah, she found herself on a highway, where she was hit by a car. So, in response, she's suing both Google and the driver of the car. Danny Sullivan explores the issue in much greater detail at that link, and comes to the same conclusion I assume many of you already jumped to: at some point, you just have to assume some sense of responsibility if you're the pedestrian. Sullivan pops out the following two Street View images showing the road in question, and wonders why the woman didn't realize that this road was not designed to be crossed. The first photo is of the intersection she would come to before crossing (note: no crosswalk):But, the woman who filed this lawsuit seems to want to blame everyone else for her own decision to try to cross a street that is obviously not for pedestrian crossing. In fact, the full lawsuit seems to contradict itself at points, since it seeks to blame both the driver who hit her for driving too fast... but at the same time seeks to blame Google for putting her on "a roadway that exhibits motor vehicles traveling at high speeds, that is not reasonably safe for pedestrians."
In the end, this looks like yet another case of a Steve Dallas lawsuit, where a big company is sued for someone's own mistakes, because that big company has lots of money.
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Filed Under: blame, directions, google maps, walking
Companies: google
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Lawyers making busy work
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Your logic is impeccable and irrefutable. Unfortunately for google: "Juries are not held to any rules of logic."
People v. Vaughn, 409 Mich. 463, 465-466 (1980)
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Re:
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Re: Re:
My statements stand w/r/t the points discussed in the article
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Roads designed for?
In the UK roads are generally "designed for pedestrians" by default. Roads that are not are generally marked up as such (motorways, clearways etc).
I don't think it's necessarily fair to expect people to deduce by looking that the road isn't suitable for walking - because part of it may look OK but a bit further up it could become unforgiving (seems to be the case here). However this is the responsibility of th4e highway agency - not Google - unless the highways people gave Google the info and they ignored it.
However if she was hit by a car whilst in the middle of the road then clearly it is her fault for not checking traffic before attempting to cross!
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Re: Roads designed for?
Actually Google are in the wrong here on one point - they have directed her to walk on the wrong side of the road. According to UK highway code you should walk on the right - equivalent to the left in the US.
However it is the woman's responsibility to obey the highway code - (or whatever the US equivalent is). Google still aren't liable.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Roads designed for?
If you want to be understood, make the effort.
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Re: Re: Re: Roads designed for?
Is this woman not supposed to take the evidence of her own eyes into account and, presumably, some observation, of the speed of the traffic, before crossing the road to determine for herself if it's safe to cross?
While UK law may be that roads are designed for pedestrians that isn't the case in North America. Then again, this is clearly an arterial highway, complete with at least one left turn bay and a reasonable person (much less dog or cat) would probably come to the conclusion that crossing isn't a good idea or, at least, very dangerous.
I'd have to say she's far more at fault than Google or, perhaps, even the driver of the car.
Reasonable simple fact here. One ton car travelling 55mph wins every time over foolish 125lb human female being where she ought not to be, if she's right or not.
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Re: Re: Re: Roads designed for?
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Re: Roads designed for?
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Warning
"Walking directions are in beta.
Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths."
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Google needs to talk with McDonalds
Sadly we have come to the time when we have to plan for the duh factor.
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Re: Google needs to talk with McDonalds
The full details:
http://www.lectlaw.com/files/cur78.htm
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Re: Google needs to talk with McDonalds
"Walking directions are in beta.
Use caution – This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths."
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Re:
Coming soon, Google's new Google Maps add on: Google Go Fuck Yourself! Yes, now available for all those out there with an IQ below that of my younger dog's testicle, you too can use Google's GFY add on for a myriad of directions to fucking yourself up!
Need directions to jump off a bridge? Think Go Fuck Yourself!
Friend tell you to take a long walk off a short pier, but you don't know how to get there? You should Go Fuck Yourself!
Boss tell you to go to hell, but you don't know how to get there? No problem. Go Fuck Yourself works with our maps of Arkansas! Directions to Hell is a click away!
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OMG!! I now have to clean the remnants of my lunch off my screen!
Truly classic!
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Best statement award: "those out there with an IQ below that of my younger dog's testicle"
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lol. too much!
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Frivolous
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New Insult
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Re: New Insult
According to the filing, her name is Lauren Rosenberg.
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Re: Re: New Insult
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Re: New Insult
"Smooth move, Rosenberg"
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Why do people focus on the beta aspect?
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Need more info.
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Say if someone checked for walking directions from location A to location B, and google's instructions told them to walk up to the top of a tall building and then step off the roof, would it be google's fault if someone did it?
I'm asking that seriously, would they be at all liable?
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Ok, I'll time you. Wait, hold on......Go!
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You can't blame Google for your own stupidity. I don't think it would be too safe to kayak from Washington to Hawaii so I wouldn't do it. Just like how I wouldn't cross a street that Google told me to if I didn't think it was safe.
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What if I tell you to run down this street knowing that there is a blind opening in the street that you will certainly fall into?
"You should check where you walk, moron! Everyone does. It's expected that you look where you're walking!"
At some point (not this woman's case IMO), the person directing someone into a known dangerous situation is liable.
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That seems to be a different situation than this, or other things like it, where the person getting hurt has actively asked for advice from something. I'm just trying to imagine where the cutoff is. There have been plenty of times where, say, you ask the wrong person for directions and they'll tell you to go drive off a cliff, or something. If the person did then go drive off a cliff, I can't imagine that the person would be liable.
But like you claim, there must be a cutoff somewhere, where the main burden falls on the person giving the instructions rather than the person following them. Where is that cutoff point, though?
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How about at the intent of the advice giver? Not perfect, but certainly would work in this case....
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sheesh
I think she would of been stupid enough to take the same Google route.
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"After doing such things, it may be natural for the driver to blame the technology, though it's unlikely to help you out much in court."
ME: You are right here Mike.
You see , there are times we agree !!!
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Mike: At some point, +++common sense+++ is supposed to kick in and the pedestrian says, "hey, this is not designed for walking."
Me : glad you see "common sense " is a legal principle.
With Piracy vs. copyright law, many folks commenting here miss that point .
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Re: Mike: At some point, +++common sense+++ is supposed to kick in and the pedestrian says, "hey, this is not designed for walking."
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Re: Re: Mike: At some point, +++common sense+++ is supposed to kick in and the pedestrian says, "hey, this is not designed for walking."
Only with copyright? This is actually true with any form of property law.
You enjoy my house? Sorry, you can't share it without my permission. You like my car? Same response.
I'm not saying the two are the same in all respects, but they are the same in the characteristic you point out.
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Only with copyright does somebody feel entitled to insist that others not share the things they like and enjoy.
Ans: the Artist CREATES the ART.
The Artist control any FULL use , 100 %.
Artists have the RIGHT to totally grant ( or not grant) use , AND to control 100 % that use PRIVILEGE -- except for parody and fair use.
That is the Basics of copyright Law.
( "fair use" is a partial excerpt , in most cases ,, academic citation , or for education purposes,, and etc ,, as cited in law.)
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Re: Only with copyright does somebody feel entitled to insist that others not share the things they like and enjoy.
The Artist control any FULL use , 100 %.
Artists have the RIGHT to totally grant ( or not grant) use , AND to control 100 % that use PRIVILEGE -- except for parody and fair use.
That is the Basics of copyright Law.
What makes you say that?
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one question
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Re: one question
Why did this chick cross the road?
Because Google effing told her to, and Google is God....
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Natural selection
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Natural selection FAIL
I wonder if she'll get a Darwin Awards honorable mention?
Hopefully she hasn't spawned yet.
It's only a matter of time before this problem takes care of itself.
Any other snarky evolution comments?
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Please...
This is just one in a long line of stories about people more than willing to disconnect their brain and let technology take over. No doubt she's a Democrat!
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Re: Please...
She must be Democrat or Republican, black, white, orange, green, or brown, spiritual, deeply religious (pick your favorite), or atheist, short, tall, or just plan different. Retards are among us in all aspects of life. To believe Republicans can't do idiotic things like this is blind and stupid. It's almost as dumb as saying "You know she's white because Asian's know better than to walk in front of cars!" Your blind retardation is going to be the death of this country.
Disclaimer: I fucking hate both majority parties in the U.S.
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The Driver is to blame.
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Privacy Invasions...
http://www.streetviewfunny.com
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Natural selection in action
Maybe we need GPS systems with more errors, not less.......
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Waver-Oners
Same thing.
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If this gets to court.....
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lawsuit
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suit
1. notice the woman in the lawsuit it Jewish, I hate to point that out, but her last name does sound Jewish. Not all Jews sue, most don't, but when even one meshuganah lady does sue, it looks bad for all Jews. Why lady, why?
2. her lawyer, Jewish, too? I hope not.
3. After reading Danny Sullivan's great gumshoe work on all this, we came up with a new term "You've been DannySullivan'd".. (one word)... to mean your article has been subjected to a rigorous online gumshoe detective strategy to ascertain just who should have been credit and attributed in the first place. Well done, Danny!
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You may be chosen and smug but fighting with speeding cars can get gnarly sugarcup.
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Adam and his antisemitic POV, ouch! why?
Adam wrote and i comment with CAPS: "Hmm maybe she thought she was holidaying in Israel again, where since they always have armed soldiers around, she's used to walking wherever she likes, like say through Palestinian homes etc.." LOW BLOW, ADAM. WHAT DOES PLO HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?
"You may be chosen IN FACT JEWS DO NOT SAY THEY ARE THE CHOSEN PEOPLE...."THE CHOSEN PEOPLE" MEME ... IT MEANS THEY CHOSE GOD... NOT THAT GOD CHOSE THEM, WAKE UP ADAM....and smug WHO'S SMUG HERE, ADAM? but fighting with speeding cars can get gnarly sugarcup. "
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Crosswalk lady
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Hehehe
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Who's Really to Blame
First, that intersection has a crosswalk, it's just unmarked. Every intersection has legal crosswalks running from corner to corner.
Second, the first photo also clearly shows a trampled pedestrian trail along the highway, indicating that a good number of people regularly walk along that highway.
So I conclude that walking on that side of the highway is normal.
The real problem is that the state (or city or county) couldn't be bothered to make the highway safe for walking. The other side of the road, where the highway runs up against the wall, demonstrates my point exactly. She should have been suing the owners of the highway and the engineers who designed it.
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