On socia media, many viewers stunned after a viral video captured a moment showing Tourists left stranded in desert after Google Maps takes them on shortcut
A group of tourists from California ended up stranded in the Nevada desert after following a “shortcut” suggested by Google Maps, leading to a rather disastrous situation.
Google maps suggests an unexpected route
The group, consisting of Californians traveling back to Los Angeles after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, relied on Google Maps for directions.
On Sunday, November 19, they followed the app’s advice to take an off-road route instead of traveling down the delayed Interstate 15, which was affected by major dust storms.
Thinking the off-road route would save them time—Google Maps promised it would be 50 minutes faster—they followed the directions without hesitation.
However, this route turned out to be far from safe.
The struggle on the off-road path
On social media, a Tiktok user. Shelby Easler (@justdoingshelbythings), who was part of the group, shared a video of the experience on Tiktok.
The clip showed them driving down an off-road trail in the desert, with another vehicle ahead of them.
She said, “We thought it would be a safer option, and it said it would be 50 minutes faster.”
A group of tourists feels trapped and unable to get help
After realizing they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, the group called emergency services for assistance. Unfortunately, they were told that first responders were already occupied with the dust storm.
@justdoingshelbythings Still stuck in vegas send help 😭 #vegas #stuckinthedesert #f1 #freewayclosed #offroading #trafficjam #lost #sos #wherearewe #desert #donkeys
In a later TikTok post, Easler explained that the alternative route took them almost two hours out of the way. This path led to a gravel road, which seemed to get worse the further they went.
She said: “The path was like dug into the ground, so we couldn’t really turn around. There were cars in front of us, cars behind us so we kind of got pinned.
“And because our navigation said we were going three miles, making a left we assumed we were going to hit a road eventually.”
Easler described the route as “dug into the ground,” making it difficult for them to turn around.
With vehicles ahead and behind, they were effectively trapped, unable to go back or move forward.
Easler also mentioned that they were forced to drive over rocks and bushes before their car broke down.
The vehicle was left behind as they flew home
The damage to their car was significant, with it being “scratched up” and unable to continue the journey. The group then made the decision to fly home to Los Angeles, leaving the car behind in Las Vegas.
Reflecting on the experience, Easler said, “In the future, I’ll stick to the road I know and double-check somewhere else if the route seems sketchy.”
Social media creation
The video quickly went viral and sparked debate among viewers.
One person said: Never going off the freeway in a desert . The hills have eyes traumatized me.
A second wrote: The fact people kept following it tho.
While a third commented: Y’all never seen the hills have eyes lol.
Another added: You mean you can’t go off-roading in a Tesla? Never would have guessed that.
Someone else said: How in the hell did Google even come up with this. I know the Google card didnt drive it. Lmao.
Google responds to the incident
Google responded to the incident, saying, “During unpredictable conditions, we work as quickly as possible to update routing based on information from local authorities and sudden changes to driving patterns.”
They assured that they are investigating the issue and confirmed that drivers are now being routed through Interstate 15, which has been reopened.