Newsletter
When it comes to technology, there’s no denying the fact that a number of people depend on Google Maps to help them out. In most cases, it can really prove to be a helpful tool as it helps people find their way to a new address. But there are those rare moments when Google Maps doesn’t prove to be helpful– just take the accident it recently made when it lead a demolition team to tear down the wrong house accidentally.
A homeowner in Texas was shocked to receive a frantic call from her neighbor on Tuesday afternoon. The wife of duplex homeowner Alan Cutter phoned in her neighbor, Lindsay Diaz, to tell her that her duplex was gone. This led Diaz to head over to 7601 Calypso Drive, Rowlett, Dallas, Texas where she discovered that there was “nothing left” of her duplex. Apparently, a demolition company was supposed to tear down another home a block away from Diaz’s address, 7601 Cousteau Drive. When she found out about the mistake, Diaz contacted Billy L. Nabors Demolition of Seagoville to explain what had happened. The company then sent her a Google Maps screenshot displaying the error it had made of pointing to the wrong address.
Prior to the demoliton, Diaz had been waiting for the decision of her insurance company and a possible FEMA individual assistance declaration to help her with her tornado-hit home. With the error of the demolition company, Diaz no longer has to worry about repair her home but to have it rebuilt from scratch.
For its part, the demolition company has passed the blame to Google Maps for pointing them to the wrong address. When typing “7601 Cousteau Drive” on Google Maps, it directed people to the other address, 7601 Calypso Drive. But when checking it on Apple Maps, both addresses are correct. Either way, the demolition company really was at fault since it did not even bother to double-check the location.
Diaz has since filed out an information report with Rowlett police so that the incident could be properly documented, especially since no one from the demolition company has apolgized. Ever since the story broke, Google has already fixed the error.
