Snow piles up to a sign for Interstate 80 westbound in Truckee, California, on March 4, 2024. Google Maps has led yet another unsuspecting motorist into another situation they had not bargained for. — Bay Area News Group via AP
A 34-year-old driver followed a GPS detour and ended up trapped in two feet of snow in southwestern Oregon, deputies said.
The man texted 911 to say he needed help at about midnight March 2 from Snow Creek Road, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
He had been visiting Corvallis from Santa Rosa, California, to buy a 1996 Ford F-150, deputies said.
But there were delays on Interstate 5, the highway that would lead him home, deputies said.
So he opened his Google Maps and followed a detour.
“Google maps recommended a detour which he selected that instructed him to take exit 88, drive east on Upper Cow Creekfor approximately 13 miles, and turn south onto Snow Creek Rd,” deputies said.
But when he got five miles onto Snow Creek Road, deputies said his truck slid into a deep ditch, trapping him in two feet of snow.
Deputies said he wasn’t prepared for the conditions and couldn’t dig himself out.
Rescuers eventually reached him and drove him to Seven Feathers Casino Resort, deputies said.
“Blindly following GPS navigation can potentially lead to dangerous situations and have serious consequences,” Lt. Brad O’Dell said in the post. “Although travel delays can be disruptive, it is best to remain on routes that are maintained.”
Corvallis is about 35 miles southwest of Salem. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
