Google Maps was blamed by a demolition company after it made an error and tore down the wrong house, according to Fox News. According to WFAA, the company was supposed to demolish a house that had been damaged by a tornado.
What went wrong?
On Monday speaking to Fox News, a spokesperson for Billy L. Nabors Demolition said, “As an organization we have acknowledged and accepted our mistake since the beginning. We are devastated that a series of unfortunate events led to something like this and are deeply sorry that this happened.”
The demolition company was supposed to tear down a building that was located at 7601 Calypso Drive in the town of Rowlett, but the company went to 7601 Cousteau Drive down the street. Screen captures were sent to the owner of the building by the demolition company employee to show why the mistake was made. But the owner whose home was demolished was not satisfied with the implication that Google Maps was to blame.
“I was driving home from work and I get a call from my neighbor,” Lindsay Diaz told Kera News. “She’s very frantic, crying and I asked her, ‘What’s going on?’ She said, ‘A company came and demolished the house by mistake.’”
The Texas demolition situation isn’t being blamed on Google Maps anymore, and the demolition company has apologized for its error. Officially, no one from Google Maps responded to the story.
Not the first mistake by Google Maps
This is not the first time the search giant has been blamed for tragic situations. According to the Houston Chronicle, a recent car accident in Texas was blamed on a teen using Google Maps when she accidentally drove into the path of an 18-wheeler and was killed.
Last year, a Google Maps error grabbed headlines when it appeared to be showing parts of Los Angeles underwater, reported Tech Times. The Maps showed what Los Angeles would look like if climate change isn’t slowed down, but it later contacted publications to inform them it was just an error they had to fix.
Another error sent people trying to go to Round Valley State Park in New Jersey to a couple’s home near the park, and for several years, this continued. The biggest Google Maps error probably happened in 2010 when the map showed that a disputed piece of land in Central America was owned by Nicaragua instead of Costa Rica.
