WTF Wednesday

Jun 2 2010 By Chris Mooney

A WOMAN is suing Google Maps for £70,000 after she was knocked down while following directions on her Blackberry mobile.

Lauren Rosenberg claims the navigation tool advised her to walk on to a busy motorway where she was hit by a car.

She now wants thousands in compensation from Google and Patrick Harwood, the driver of the vehicle which struck her, according to US site Search Engline Land.

Rosenberg, from Park City, Utah, in the United States, used Google Maps to get walking directions from one district of the town to another in January last year.

But part of the directions from Daly Street to Prospector Avenue included walking along a half-mile stretch of motorway called Deer Valley Drive, better known as Utah State Route 224.

She claims there were no warnings that the route was not safe for pedestrians and that she was hit by a car because there were no pavements.

At one point on the route, a barrier actually pushes pedestrians closer to traffic.

Google have pointed out that the directions given to Rosenberg did come with a warning for pedestrians to use caution.

But Rosenberg claims she accessed the maps on her Blackberry, which has a smaller screen and does not show the warning.

She is now demanding more than $100,000 in damages from Google and Harwood in the law suit, which was filed in the US District Court in Park County.

Rosenberg is asking for Google to pay her medical expenses in addition to punitive damages and loss of earnings.

The complaint states: “As a direct and proximate cause of defendant Google’s careless, reckless and negligent providing of unsafe directions, plaintiff Lauren Rosenberg was led on to a dangerous highway.

“She was, thereby, stricken by a motor vehicle, causing her severe permanent physical, emotional and mental injuries.”

Google Maps warn users about walking directions on their version for computers, saying that : “Walking directions are in beta. Use caution – this route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths.”