Well, this sucks. A Texas-based demolition company is blaming Google Maps for providing the wrong address for the house it was supposed to tear down, which instead led the crew to destroy a nearby family home.
Demolition workers were supposed to knock down a tornado-ravaged home on 7601 Cousteau Drive, but said Google Maps pointed them to a home on 7601 Calypso Drive, one block from the original destination. The homeowner of the unintended target said she was informed by her neighbor what had happened.
As of publishing, the company has yet to make a formal apology; Google has declined to make a statement, but it did fix the map to pin the correct address. Goes to show just how a tiny error can cause a colossal mistake.
But while map apps have led users astray many times before, it’s pretty scapegoat-y to blame the screw-up on the GPS. Moral of the story? Don’t rely on technology to do your job when all it takes is to read the street sign.
➤ Google Maps error sees the wrong house demolished [Newsweek]
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