In a strange twist of events, it appears that search engine mega giant Google Inc. is once again finding itself faced with a law suit, but this time of a decidedly different nature than the typical feuds over search engine rankings and Adsense bans. As it turns out, a woman in the United States is suing the tech company because she claims that she was struck by another vehicle due to the fact that Google Maps lead her onto a busy highway where she was unaware of the fast moving traffic that was then in motion. At the time, the woman was walking and not in a vehicle of her own, but rather on foot following the Google Map directions word for word, by all accounts in the press. The law suit has been filed in the United States District Court’s Central Division in the state of Utah and that court will be the one that makes the decision as to whether or not Google can be held liable for the directions that its map service provides for free to users.
Lauren Rosenburg, the woman who is initiating the law suit, will be suing for $100,000 and is taking action, as well, against Patrick Harwood, the man behind the wheel of the vehicle that struck her during the accident. The walking directions that the woman searched for were found using her Blackberry and related to locations in Park City, Utah. Google is re-stating the fact that its walking directions are clearly labeled as in beta and that the routes it advises may not be safe for pedestrians.
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