Georgia Couple Sues Venice-Based Snapchat Over Car Crash

GRIFFIN, Ga. (CBSLA.com/AP) — A Georgia couple is suing Venice-based Snapchat, claiming that the social media app's "speed filter" tempted a woman to drive too fast and to cause a crash that injured the husband.

Media outlets report Wentworth and Karen Maynard filed a lawsuit in Spalding County State Court against Snapchat and the 18-year-old driver, Christal McGee.

The lawsuit says that in September, McGee was driving down a highway south of Atlanta using a Snapchat filter that places the rate at which a vehicle is traveling over an image. It says McGee was trying
to reach 100 miles an hour in her car, which struck the Maynards' car, sending it across the left lane and into an embankment.

Minutes after the accident, McGee managed to snap a selfie while strapped from a gurney with the caption, "Lucky to be alive."

The other driver, Wentworth Maynard, suffered brain damage, the suit alleges.

His lawyers claim the teen was going 113 miles per hour so she could use the app's "speed filter."

"It does raise some questions about whether Snapchat could have legitimately and reasonably known that people would be using the feature while they are driving," said Erin Ehrlich, an attorney.

It's unclear if McGee has an attorney.

In a statement Snapchat said "We actively discourage our community from using the speed filter while driving, including by displaying a 'Do NOT Snap and Drive' warning message in the app itself."

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