Man drives into chilly Pennsylvania river, blames GPS

BRADFORD COUNTY, PA (KTRK) -- A West Virginia man claims his GPS caused him to drive straight into the Susquehanna River in Bradford County, Pennsylvania.

The Wyalusing fire chief says it happened around 11:00pm on Wednesday night. He was called out to rescue the 24-year-old man after he drove into the river and swam to the other side.

Fire Chief Brad Fassett says the water was only about 40 degrees at the time.

"the individual who swam across the river, in our book, is lucky to be alive," said Fassett.

The driver said his GPS told him he could take State Route 2025 across the river. The problem: the road ends at the river bank. Residents say there used to be a ferry in the area, but it stopped service years ago.

"It's not been here for years and years," said Wyalusing Township resident Ronald Davenport. "It's quite obvious when you get there that there's no ferry you can drive across."

The driver of the truck says it was late at night and he did not see that the road ran into the river. He also did not see the sign that says the road ends.

The driver was found eight hours later on the river bank and was treated for hypothermia-like symptoms. Authorities are not sure when they'll be able to retrieve his vehicle.

The fire chief says this is the second time someone has blamed their GPS for driving into the river. He says another driver had a similar problem in January, however that driver managed to get across the river because it was iced over at the time.