Dozens of drivers get stuck in mud after Google Maps reroutes them into empty field

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Thursday, June 27, 2019
Dozens of drivers get stuck in mud after Google Maps sends them into empty field
Drivers avoiding crash scene get sent on wild alternate route by Google Maps.

AURORA, Colo. -- Dozens of drivers hoping to find a quicker route to Denver International Airport around a crash found themselves in a muddy mess Sunday.

The car crash happened on Pena -- the main road going towards the airport -- and caused some GPS applications like Google Maps to detour.

Drivers were rerouted to East 64th Avenue, which eventually turned into a dirt road, KMGH reports.

Connie Monsees was one of the drivers that took the detour.

"It was supposed to be half the time," Monsees said. "It spit us out onto a dirt road, but my thought was, well, there are all these other cars in front of me so it must be OK. So I just continued."

Unfortunately for Monsees and the approximately 100 other cars driving through the detour, previous weather conditions left the road slick and muddy.

"That's when I thought, this was a bad idea," Monsees said.

Cars began to get stuck between the mud and two deep ditches.

Dozens of drivers hoping to find a quicker route to Denver International Airport around a crash Sunday found themselves in a muddy mess.

"Why did Google send us out there to begin with?" Monsees said. "There was no turning back once you were out there."

Local sources say the road is not owned by Denver or Aurora but is actually private property, though they are unsure if it's open to the public.

"The bottom line is don't just follow GPS apps blindly," Monsees said. "This might be a good reminder to actually pull out a map to look at your area so that you know detour route for yourself, and of course make sure that you have your safety and your family's safety in mind all the time no matter which route to take."