• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
methodshop

methodshop

tech news, reviews & how to's

  • Trending
  • Latest
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Internet
    • Software
    • Security
    • Games
    • Advertising
  • Life
    • Entertainment
    • TV & Film
    • Music
    • Health & Science
    • Family
    • Social Media
    • Food
    • Style
  • Learn
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • News
      • Business
      • Crime
      • Politics
  • Fun
    • Featured
    • Humor
    • Holiday

Home : Health & Science : 5 Tragic Death By GPS Stories

Death By GPS Death Valley
yakovlevmax0, Foundry,

5 Tragic Death By GPS Stories

Here's a collection of tragic death by GPS stories of when bad GPS directions resulted in the death of innocent travelers.

December 30, 2016 by Ethan Millard
FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn

Search, and rescue teams call it “Death By GPS.”  It happens when a well-meaning driver follows poor directions from a GPS device and ends up in serious trouble. Despite the grisly name, not every victim dies from following bad directions from their GPS. But the name is a reminder of how high the stakes can be when you trust technology more than your own eyes and instincts. Here are some tragic stories from people who trusted their GPS more than their own common sense.

GPS Takes Couple On A Deadly Scenic Route

Death By Gps: Bad Gps Directions Take Couple On The &Quot;Scenic Route&Quot;
Albert and Rita Chretien decided to take a more scenic route.

In March of 2011, Albert and Rita Chretien left Penticton, British Columbia, in their Chevrolet Astro Van. They were driving to Las Vegas for a convention and decided to take a more scenic route. Rita would later tell rescuers that they tried to use their GPS to find Mountain City, Nevada, but the device led them onto a dangerous and remote road high in the desert mountains. Their vehicle was quickly disabled, and they became lost and stuck.

Several days passed before their family discovered the two had never made it to the convention. The Chretiens never told anyone the route they planned to use. Without a clear location, search teams had to be mobilized across four states. It was such a vast area, searchers were eventually forced to abandon their efforts.

After nearly two months, hunters stumbled upon Rita clinging to life at the spot where their van slid off the road. Albert was missing. He had set off for Mountain City on foot to bring back help. It was almost two years before his body was found.  He had made it seven miles, just over halfway to the town.

GPS Leads Family Into A Bad Neighborhood

Death By Gps: Gang Gunfire
Katya10, Momentmal

It was October 2015, and Regina Murmura and her husband were meeting their daughter for dinner at a beach neighborhood in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

They were unfamiliar with the area and used the Waze app to find their way. Unfortunately, the Waze app led them into a perilous neighborhood where a local gang ambushed them. Regina died in a hail of gunfire, and her husband was barely lucky to make it out alive.

GPS Doesn’t Know That The Bridge Is Out

Death By Gps: Bridge Is Out
Hussain trusted his GPS more than his own eyes as he drove past concrete barriers, orange barrels and road closed signs.

The bridge on Cline Avenue in Lake County Indiana has been closed since 2009, but in March 2015, Iftikhar Hussain’s GPS recommended it as his fastest route.

Hussain trusted the bad GPS directions more than his own eyes as he drove past concrete barriers, orange barrels and road closed signs. He drove his Nissan Sentra off the edge of an incomplete road. The car fell almost forty feet and caught fire. Iftikhar’s wife who was riding as a passenger and was killed. He survived.

GPS Leads Oregon Man On His Last The Fishing Trip

Investigators believe that on a fishing trip in Oregon, Silas Whitley relied too much on his GPS device and not enough on his own instincts. At one point in his travels, his GPS did a recalculation that put him on a challenging and remote road. It was there that after a weeklong search in August of 2015, searchers finally found his truck and then his body.

Death By GPS Death Valley Detour

Death By Gps Death Valley
yakovlevmax0, Foundry

Alicia Sanchez and her 6-year-old son Carlos were only lost for five days, but in Death Valley National Park, that’s more than enough time to die. Most Death Valley deaths are the result of dehydration and that was sadly the case in this instance. When a park ranger came across her incapacitated car in August 2009, the first thing Alicia said to him was, “my baby is dead.”  He found 6-year-old Carlos slumped over in the front seat.  Alicia was probably within hours of dying herself. She was just following her GPS unit, which directed her down the wrong road.

How To Avoid Becoming A Victim Of “Death By GPS”

These death by GPS stories are terrible, but hopefully will help raise awareness around this issue. The advice for avoiding Death by GPS is simple: Trust your gut.  If a road seems unsafe, go back. Search, and rescue teams also recommend having paper maps that clearly mark passable and maintained roads. GPS directions are helpful to have, but traditional paper maps might help save your life.

At the end of the day, though, nothing can take the place of your own eyeballs.  Follow all road signs and use common sense.  If you see a road closed sign, don’t use the road. Your GPS won’t magically open it for you. Follow those common-sense tips so you won’t fall victim to death by GPS.

Here’s a collection of tragic death by GPS stories of when bad GPS directions resulted in the death of innocent travelers. #DeathByGPS #GPS #GPSdirections #GPSfail
Click To Tweet

Related Articles:

  • Everything You Need To Know About GeoCookies
  • What Is Geocaching? – An Easter Egg Hunt For Adults
  • Geek Out With The Knight Rider GPS Car Navigation System
  • Easily Track The Location Of A Cell Phone With These Apps


FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Category: Health & Science, Learn, Technology Tag: Alicia Sanchez, Brazil, British Columbia, Chevrolet, Death Valley, Death Valley National Park, Fish, gangs, Global Positioning System (GPS), Indiana, las vegas, National Park, Nevada, Nissan, Oregon, Penticton, Regina Murmura, Rio de Janeiro, Sentra, Silas Whitley
Previous Post:Sizzle Reel Songs5 Awesome Sizzle Reel Songs
Next Post:What If Everyone On Earth Lived Together In One Giant Building?Everyone on Earth In One Giant Building

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. James

    October 15, 2022 at 3:58 AM

    How can people be so stupid?

  2. isc3dom

    January 6, 2017 at 4:32 PM

    people are crazy. how can you drive past concrete barriers, orange barrels and road closed signs without thinking something is wrong?

  3. Michael

    January 6, 2017 at 4:30 PM

    omg reading about the 6 year old boy who died in death valley was so sad. i have a son just younger than him. i cant even imagine.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

Popular Posts

  • Job Automation Using ChatGPT Could Make These Jobs Obsolete - Is Your Job On This List?Job Automation Using ChatGPT Could Make These Jobs Obsolete – Is Your Job On…
  • The Surprising Story Behind The NBC ChimesThe Surprising Story Behind The NBC Chimes
  • 7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google's Cameras7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google’s Cameras
  • Top 200 Nielsen DMA Rankings (2023) – Full ListTop 200 Nielsen DMA Rankings (2023) – Full List
  • 5 Funny Resurrection Jokes To Share On Easter Sunday5 Funny Resurrection Jokes To Share On Easter Sunday
  • How To Change The Default LG TV Home Screen To Live TVHow To Change The Default LG TV Home Screen To Live TV
  • Is Your Hatch Restore Already Registered? Here's How To Fix It And Unregister A Hatch Restore.Is Your Hatch Restore Already Registered? Here’s How To Fix It And…
  • 20 Famous People Who Are Members Of The Sleepless Elite20 Famous People Who Are Members Of The Sleepless Elite
  • The Best Caddyshack Quotes: 30 Famous Caddyshack Quotes That'll Make You LaughThe Best Caddyshack Quotes: 30 Famous Caddyshack Quotes That’ll Make You Laugh
  • Chronological List Of Jackie Chan MoviesChronological List Of Jackie Chan Movies

Categories

Clever Tech Gifts

10 Clever Tech Gifts That People Actually Want

Here are some clever tech gifts that your friends and family will love.

Everything Everywhere All At Once Quotes

The 40 Best Everything Everywhere All At Once Quotes

Ready to be inspired and challenged? Check out these amazing Everything Everywhere All At Once quotes that will help you see the world in a whole new light!

Recent Posts

  • The 40 Best Everything Everywhere All At Once Quotes
  • How To Manually Identify AI-Generated Text Without Using A ChatGPT Detector
  • 10 Clever Tech Gifts That People Actually Want
  • 10 Fun Things To Ask Alexa On St. Patrick’s Day
  • 30 Dirty Irish Pick Up Lines That Will Probably Get You Slapped

Jump to comments

About

MethodShop’s mission is to entertain, inform, and sometimes gross you out. MethodShop has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by us. All prices are subject to change.

Latest

Everything Everywhere All At Once Quotes

The 40 Best Everything Everywhere All At Once Quotes

How To Visually Identify AI-Generated Text

How To Manually Identify AI-Generated Text Without Using A ChatGPT Detector

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
MethodShop Animated Zoom Icon
  • About
  • Submit
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Store

Copyright © 2023 MethodShop · All Rights Reserved