Sometimes you come across a story that makes you say, "I get it... But I don't get it..." A computer consultant in a rental car recently showcased his unflagging trust in technology, and just barely lived to tell the story. Following the instructions the GPS was giving him -- religiously, in this case -- he was told to make a right turn... onto train tracks. And he did it.
We can't ever imagine a case in which making a right turn onto train tracks could be an acceptable course of action, no matter who's giving the command. Especially in light of some of the places our own GPS has tried to lead us. And not only did the driver make the turn onto the tracks, but he got stuck there -- just as a passenger train was coming. Not being known for their ability to stop on any amount of coinage, and in spite of the man's waving, the train plowed into the car in a "fiery crash."
No one was hurt in the crash -- the driver got out of the way in time. However, the 500 passengers who were stranded for hours probably wanted to do unkind things to him once they found out he was all right. Yet if he's not hurting now, the bill he gets from the rental car company might change that. Even if he checked the comprehensive option, we can't imagine that a train and 250 feet of damaged railroad tracks are covered in the rental company's Loss Damage Waiver.
Thanks for the tip, Brian!
[Source: MSNBC]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Alex @ Jan 4th 2008 12:44PM
honestly, how are people this stupid?
Kookr @ Jan 4th 2008 12:45PM
LOL just like Michael Scott!
Scotty @ Jan 4th 2008 1:15PM
Exactly, you beat me to it :D
Nick @ Jan 4th 2008 12:49PM
This is where idiotic warnings like "This coffee is Hot" come from. Those passengers should tar and feather him.
Rocketboy @ Jan 4th 2008 1:35PM
I'm not going to get into this argument again. So just STOP IT with the coffee reference. Do yourself a favor and read up on it. What you must be thinking happened is NOT what actually happened.
Whiplash @ Jan 4th 2008 12:52PM
Wow. That's pretty incredible. I learned early on that my GPS is wrong often enough that I have to double check everything. There was the time I was heading to a seafood restaurant and the GPS tried to lead me down a dirt road that get's covered in water during high tide instead of the nicely paved road just across the freeway.
Then there was the time I was looking for my hotel in a small desert town and the GPS tried to lead me to a completely different town which was 40 miles away in the middle of nowhere. Luckily I ignored the directions and when I got to the hotel the gal at the counter says that everyone with a GPS runs into the same problem there.
Devin @ Jan 4th 2008 12:53PM
According to the story he got stuck at a crossing, so really this has nothing to do with the GPS system. Yea, it told him to turn right, but he was at a crossing so there's nothing wrong with that.
Cornholio @ Jan 4th 2008 12:58PM
Uh, he got hit by a train. He obviously did something wrong. GPS or not, most people know not to drive on railroad tracks.
Luis @ Jan 4th 2008 2:23PM
Apparently, even stories on Autoblog aren't idiot proof...
Devin @ Jan 4th 2008 3:25PM
Cornholio, I was referring to the GPS when I said nothing was wrong with it. He's obviously an idiot. The Autoblog post made it seem like the GPS made him turn onto tracks that weren't at a crossing so I was just clarifying
Alex K @ Jan 5th 2008 2:02PM
Devin - The story clearly says that the GPS told him to turn right at the railroad crossing (onto the tracks): "The driver had turned right, as the system advised, and the car somehow got stuck on the tracks at the crossing." Unfortunately, that's not enough info to know what really happened - if there was in intersection coming up right after the tracks and it said "turn right" but meant at the intersection, not on the tracks, then the GPS was fine. If the GPS thought he was already at the intersection, or thought that the tracks were a road, then it was wrong. Stupid news writers don't give enough info to even have a decent debate over this!
meshies @ Jan 4th 2008 12:56PM
i bet a million moron dude tries to sue somebody
calebe @ Jan 4th 2008 12:59PM
Nothing is idiot proof...Im more amazed by that old pic than the story. That old chevy panel truck held up pretty good!
Maestro1 @ Jan 4th 2008 1:11PM
I was thinking the same thing. However that train looks much more modern than that car in the picture don't you think?
Jason Bird @ Jan 4th 2008 1:18PM
If you make something "Idiot Proof," God makes better idiots!
Shipey @ Jan 4th 2008 1:19PM
Nah... the engine is '40s art-deco in design for sure. It's a '51-'53 Chevy panel wagon. (Hard to tell with the front end all wiped out! Taillights look like '53 to me though.)
Paul @ Jan 4th 2008 2:25PM
That'll buff right out.
Cornholio @ Jan 4th 2008 4:02PM
The train is a Fairbanks-Morse H16-44 locomotive from the late 1940s/early 1950s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Fairbanks-Morse_locomotives
j_diesel @ Jan 5th 2008 5:57AM
holy crap. someone else on here knew that was a F-M trainmaster locomotive.
anonomous @ Jan 6th 2008 1:16AM
That's not a truck, it is a "Sedan delivery" and is based off the Chevy car of the day. '53 or '54 model, basically it is the station wagon (remember those?) with no rear doors or windows and a stripped down interior.