Man dies after GPS directs him to washed-away bridge

In a tragic incident reported from the US, a 47-year-old man lost his life after his GPS device led him off a washed away bridge in North Carolina on a dark and rainy night.

Phil Paxson was on his way home when he drove off the bridge in Catawba County on September 30. The bridge did not have any barricades, warning signs or boards to alert drivers of its decrepit state. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said that vandals had destroyed the previous signs.

His body was found in his car the next day "upside down and partially submerged in a creek in an area where the roadway had washed out," according to local authorities.

According to WSOCTV, the bridge had been washed away years ago in a storm. It had not been repaired because it was neither maintained by the state of North Carolina nor the city of Hickory.

Paxson's mother-in-law, Linda McPhee, wrote in a Facebook post: "He was following his GPS which led him down a concrete road to a bridge that dropped off into a river."

His family has described his death as "avoidable," if authorities had put up warning signs. "It lacked any barriers or warning signs to prevent the death of a 47-year-old father of two daughters," added McPhee. They have also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his last rites.

Paxson's wife, Alicia Paxson, told WSCOTV: "Seems like minimal action could have saved his life. Nobody wanted to take responsibility. I don't understand how over nine years this could be like this."

Meanwhile, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has been asked to place barriers on the bridge. It is still unclear who is responsible for the road and the washed-away bridge.

Paxson is survived by his wife and two daughters, two sisters, a sister-in-law and many nieces and nephews, per a report in The Independent.

According to news website Psychreg, every year more than 200,000 accidents are caused by GPS devices.