Google Maps error sees wrong house being bulldozed

Alan Martin March 24, 2016

If ever there was a sign that maybe – just maybe – we put too much faith in technology, the remains of 7601 Calypso Drive in Texas should really be the noisy wake-up call we ordered. Google Maps pointed to the wrong house – 7601 Calypso Drive, rather than nearby 7601 Cousteau Drive – and WFAA reports that demolition company, Billy L Nabors Demolition of Seagoville, went with the rogue GPS co-ordinates.

Google Maps error sees wrong house being bulldozed

The home was a duplex co-owned by Lindsay Diaz and Alan Cutter, who were waiting on an insurance payout for repairs to their home following a Boxing Day tornado. But on Tuesday morning, Diaz was contacted by the wife of Cutter informing her that the house was gone. “I pull up, and – sure enough – it’s gone. There’s nothing left,” she told WFAA.

By way of explanation, a Nabors employee sent screenshots from Google Maps that show the arrow in the wrong place, although officially the company is yet to comment or apologise according to WFAA.

Engadget points out that both Apple Maps and Mapquest have the correct listings for the property, but that’s probably not much consolation at this point – neither is the fact that the demolition company got the right house after taking down the wrong one. wrong_house_demolished_google_maps

While it’s good to know that most GPS mistakes aren’t as costly – and thankfully most of us won’t ever be in charge of demolition equipment – it’s still worth remembering that although technology certainly makes our lives easier, too much autopilot is a very bad thing.

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Images: WFAA