More than 20 vehicles became stranded on a snowy northeast Oregon road last Wednesday, Nov. 20, after GPS directions sent them onto an unsafe route, the Union County Sheriff’s Office said.
The first SOS satellite alert came in around 2:15 p.m. from an iPhone reporting a car stuck on Ruckle Road, a steep gravel road not cleared during snowy weather. Search and rescue teams were dispatched, but more alerts followed within 30 minutes from other drivers trapped in the same area, said Nick Vora, Union County’s emergency manager and search and rescue coordinator.
Union County Public Works brought in a plow, and crews worked for almost two hours to free an estimated 50 people, guiding them back to the main road shortly after 5 p.m., according to Vora.
Officials said the drivers had been trying to bypass closures and delays on Interstate 84 using GPS, which led them onto the hazardous back road.
“GPS maps don’t differentiate between winter and summer routes and will tell people to take routes that could be a problem,” Vora said. “My advice to people is to treat GPS directions like advice from a stranger — be cautious.”
The sheriff’s office called the incident a cautionary tale.
“This incident serves as an important reminder of the need to carefully evaluate, and often not follow, GPS-provided directions, especially in winter months,” Union County rescue officials said in a statement. “The interstate and highways are the best routes through our region during winter conditions, and if they are closed due to weather, or weather-related crashes, it is almost certainly ill-advised and very dangerous to attempt alternate travel routes.”
Union County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Cherise Kaechele said similar incidents happen every year.
“This isn’t the first time that this has happened, this is a yearly thing that we have to deal with,” said Kaechele. “Along with search and rescue, we are usually the ones who come to retrieve them and it’s a lot of the same, people relying on Google Maps to get them there safely. But it can get very ugly very quickly with the snow and the ice.”
Not everyone is as lucky with incidents like this. During Thanksgiving week in 2006, James Kim with his wife, Kati Kim, and their two daughters became stranded on a remote snow-covered road in southern Oregon after missing a turn and inadvertently taking an unmaintained route.
After several days, James Kim set out on foot to seek help but succumbed to hypothermia; Kati Kim and the children were later rescued by local helicopter pilot, John Rachor, who was unaffiliated with official search efforts.
Kaechele urged drivers to carry emergency kits and, most importantly, stay on main roads and have patience while waiting for rescuers.
Drivers are encouraged to avoid unpaved roads and follow weather updates.
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