Monday, May 31, 2010

Are stupid people here for our entertainment?

This came out of the recent Fortune Magazine. It caught my eye because it occurred about a mile and a half from our house. This woman just has rocks for brains and doesn't seem bashful about it.



You know those warning labels on those chemical packets that come in new shoes that say 'do not eat'? Have you ever wondered why they have to print something so stupidly obvious?

Enter Lauren Rosenberg of Park City, Utah. She used Google Maps on her Blackberry to get walking directions from one part of town to another. Part of those direction included walking on a road without sidewalks called Deer Valley Drive, aka Utah State Route 224.

According to court documents, instead of finding a different route or walking safely away from traffic, she walked into the street and was (surprise!) struck by a car. Now she's suing Google for in excess of $100,000.

Defendant Google, through its "Google Maps" service provided Plaintiff Lauren Rosenberg with walking directions that led her out onto Deer valley Drive, a.k.a. State Route 224, a rural highway with no sidewalks, and a roadway that exhibits motor vehicles traveling at high speeds, that is not reasonably safe for pedestrians.

The Defendant Google expects uses of the walking map site to rely on the accuracy of the walking directions given….

As a direct and proximate cause of Defendant Google's careless, reckless, and negligent providing of unsafe directions, Plaintiff Laren Rosenberg was led onto a dangerous highway, and was thereby stricken by a motor vehicle…

The article goes on, but that pretty much covers it. I feel sorry for Google and the numerous other companies that have to defend themselves against such stupidity. I would love to find out what attorney in the Park City area decided to take this case. How embarrassing!

Perhaps the judge will make her go to summer school with little kids and practice looking both ways before stepping into a 5 lane highway.

1 comment:

Chad said...

unfortunately, she may just win...