A convoy of people leaving the Formula 1 in Las Vegas have been sent the scenic route as Google Maps software attempted to avoid a dust storm.
A TikTok video of the ordeal was posted by Shelby Easler. The Washington Post interviewed Ms Easler who claimed her family and “a long line of cars heading toward the same detour” followed the navigation instructions.
After setting off from their hotel in Las Vegas, Ms Easler told the Washington Post her family had no reason to believe the route was going to cause drama.
@justdoingshelbythings Still stuck in vegas send help 😭 #vegas #stuckinthedesert #f1 #freewayclosed #offroading #trafficjam #lost #sos #wherearewe #desert #donkeys ♬ origineel geluid – Tik Toker
Ms Easler claims the detour created a day-long ordeal. Just for context, according to Google Maps, the trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles is expected to take around four hours and 10 minutes.
The Washington Post reports the detour directed drivers on a gravel road which eventually disappeared into a bumpy dirt trail, which is when Ms Easler’s family realised something was wrong.
“They’re all going directly into the desert,” she told the Washington Post.
“Nobody was turning around. So we figured that it led somewhere.”
According to the Washington Post, other drivers using navigation apps were also directed along the same remote route.
The TikTok video shows vehicles including a Honda CR-V, Tesla Model 3, and Hyundai Santa Fe, as well as Subaru and Honda models on the dirt road.
Ms Easler, who appears to be a passenger in an Audi Q8, claims the car was being destroyed and vehicles had to travel at slow speeds to avoid sustaining more damage.
After driving along the trail, a driver further ahead turned around and told the group the trail was washed out and impassable.
As a result of the “severe” dust storm, the Washington Post claims part of the Interstate 15 highway between LA and Vegas was closed. The storm reportedly caused several accidents.
In her video, Ms Easler claims she called 911 but was told help wasn’t coming as Highway Patrol officers were busy managing accidents on the freeway.
Ms Ealser and her family then turned around and attempted to backtrack along the trail.
“We ended up making, like, a seven-point turn into one bush then another bush and then a rock and then a cactus,” she told the Washington Post.
“And eventually [we] turned around and kind of waited for every single person to do the same exact thing.”
By the time Easler’s brother – who was driving the car – had reached the beginning of the dirt road, she claims the vehicle had sustained several thousands of dollars of damage, and had scratches and severe damage to a tyre.
Ms Easler told the Washington Post that, after getting out of trouble, her family drove to a fuel station and called a tow truck before taking an Uber back to Las Vegas and later flying to Los Angeles.
After the ordeal, Ms Easler claims she will “take a break” from driving to Vegas anytime soon.
A spokesperson from Google claims in the future the software won’t direct people down the dirt not-a-road.
“We apologize for what happened last weekend, and can confirm that we’ll no longer route drivers travelling between Las Vegas and Los Angeles down these narrow backroads off Interstate 15 near the California-Nevada border,” said Genevieve Park to the Washington Post.
