The family of an American man who was killed when he fell from a collapsed bridge is claiming that Google is to blame for not updating the map for the exact route for nine years.

Philip Paxson’s family is suing the company over his death, and the case was filed in Wake County civil court on Tuesday.

Paxson died in September 2022 when he tried to drive over the damaged bridge in Hickory, North Carolina.

According to the BBC, a Google spokesperson said the company is looking into the allegations.

Paxson, a father of two, was leaving a family friend’s house in an undisclosed neighborhood on the fateful day, according to the family’s lawsuit.

“Unfamiliar with local roads, he relied on Google Maps, expecting it to guide him safely home to his wife and daughters,” the family’s lawyers said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

“As he drove cautiously in the dark and rain, he followed Google’s directions.”

Local residents had repeatedly contacted Google to ask them to change their online maps after the bridge collapsed in 2013, the lawsuit alleges.

Barriers normally placed at the entrance to the bridge were missing due to vandalism, according to the Charlotte Observer. The lawsuit also sues three local companies, claiming they had a duty to maintain the bridge.

“Our daughters ask us how and why their dad died, and I have no words that can explain why, as an adult, I still cannot understand how the people responsible for the GPS directions and the bridge could have acted like this, little respect for human life,” said his wife, Alicia Paxson.

“We are very sorry for the Paxson family,” a Google spokesperson told AP News, adding, “Our goal is to provide accurate routing information on Maps, and we are reviewing this lawsuit.”