A high-powered Los Angeles couple is suing Google Maps for allegedly sending them to a dangerous South African neighborhood known as “Hell Run,” where they were brutally attacked at gunpoint, breaking the husband’s jaw.
Jason and Katharine Zoladz, regional director of the Los Angeles office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, used the app in October to navigate from their Airbnb to the Cape Town airport, Mercury News reported.
They planned to trade in their rental car for an SUV to drive to a wildlife preserve in the Kalahari Desert, the outlet said, citing a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
The couple claim Google Maps directed them to the Nyanga neighborhood, which has long been known locally as the site of “numerous” violent attacks on tourists by armed bandits, and despite warnings to the tech giant from officials Americans and locals about wrong addresses.
“Gangs of thieves stalked tourists traveling in rental cars” and “attacked the cars by throwing bricks or large rocks through the windows, violently assaulting the occupants, and stealing valuables,” the lawsuit states.
The victims were left “wounded, mutilated or dead,” he added.
Google Maps directed the couple to a famous stretch of road called “Hell Run” because of violent attacks on tourists wandering the area, according to the document.
Los Angeles couple sues Google Maps for allegedly sending them to dangerous South African neighborhood known as “Hell Run” Deyan – stock.adobe.com
Nearby New Eisleben Road was known as a “prime location” for attacks because “gangs knew that Google Maps was sending unsuspecting tourists driving rental cars,” the lawsuit alleges, according to Mercury News.
When the Zoladzes stopped at a red light, armed thugs surrounded their vehicle.
“One of them threw a cobblestone through the driver’s side window, breaking Jason Zoladz’s lower jaw bone into several pieces, cutting his skin and muscle down to the bone, rendering him unconscious,” the police reportedly states. demand.
The gunmen pulled the couple out of the car, fired several shots and stole their cash, credit cards and cellphones before fleeing, the report said.
The couple claim Google Maps directed them to the Nyanga neighborhood, long known locally as the site of “numerous” violent attacks on tourists by armed bandits. derejeb – stock.adobe.com
Jason was left “bleeding and disoriented as he and Katharine attempted to get to a hospital or police station,” according to the lawsuit.
After being escorted to a hospital by a police officer, Jason underwent three hours of reconstructive surgery and “now lives with four metal plates in his jaw, ongoing pain and numbness, and faces the likelihood of future surgeries,” the lawsuit states. .
Katharine suffered lasting emotional damage, he says.
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A consular official at the hospital said that “other Americans had been attacked on the same route and that American and South African officials had been in talks with Google Maps for some time, trying to get Google Maps to stop sending people down that route.” he says.
Cape Town officials later told the couple they had also been trying to meet with Google Maps officials about the issue, according to their claim.
The company agreed to stop Google Maps from directing people through the dangerous zone three weeks after the brutal attack, the lawsuit claims.
“It was too late for the Zoladz,” he says.
The company agreed to stop Google Maps from directing people through the dangerous zone three weeks after the brutal attack, the lawsuit claims. Google Street View
“We take driver safety very seriously and are currently reviewing the lawsuit,” a Google spokesperson told The Post. “We consider a wide range of factors to offer routes, such as road size, directness and estimated travel time, and continually work to improve our routes.”
The couple is seeking unspecified damages.
The SEC announced Nov. 29 that Katharine would be named regional director of the agency’s Los Angeles office.
She joined the agency in 2010 and served as interim co-director since June 2023 and as associate regional director of compliance since October 2019, according to her biography.
Prior to joining the SEC, Katharine practiced in securities and complex commercial litigation.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in international politics from Georgetown University and her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn