US woman, 70, takes a wrong turn while following GPS. Here's where she ended up
A 70-year-old woman drove her SUV onto Seattle's Mount Baker light rail track while following GPS directions. The incident halted part of the service, went viral online and left investigators tracing her route.
A 70-year-old woman in the US accidentally drove her SUV onto an elevated light rail track while following GPS directions, leaving stunned commuters watching as a car rolled into a train station where only rail vehicles are supposed to go.
The bizarre incident unfolded at Seattle's Mount Baker light rail station on Tuesday evening, when a red Mazda CX-5 slowly made its way onto the southbound platform, disrupting train services and sparking a flood of viral videos online.
According to a report by The Seattle Times, passengers waiting for a train were left bewildered as the SUV emerged on the tracks and pulled up near the station platform.
Police later said the woman told officers she had been following navigation instructions when she mistakenly ended up on the rail line. Investigators are still trying to determine the exact route she took to reach the station.
As reported by The Seattle Times, witnesses believe the driver entered the trackway roughly half a mile from the station at a section where the rail tracks run alongside the roadway. From there, she appears to have continued driving onto infrastructure designed exclusively for trains, eventually reaching the elevated station platform.
The journey was far from smooth. Witnesses recalled hearing scraping and screeching noises as the vehicle travelled along the tracks, particularly in sections where the rail line rises above street level. Despite obstacles that would typically prevent ordinary vehicles from proceeding, the SUV somehow continued its climb and reached the station.
Videos from the scene showed transit personnel approaching the vehicle as confused passengers looked on. The incident forced authorities to suspend part of the city's light rail service and replace trains with shuttle buses while crews worked to remove the SUV.
Watch the video here:
According to The Seattle Times report, police said the woman did not appear to be under the influence, though officers noted she seemed disoriented and took extended periods to answer questions. She was later evaluated by emergency responders and taken to a hospital.
Transit workers eventually used a specialised rail maintenance vehicle to lift the Mazda off the tracks and transport it away from the station. Service resumed after crews inspected the rail infrastructure for damage.
The incident quickly went viral online, with many social media users expressing disbelief that GPS directions could lead someone onto a railway line. Others joked that the navigation system had taken "take the next track" a little too literally.
For now, investigators are continuing to examine how the driver managed to travel such a distance on the rail network before finally arriving at a station platform, a place where commuters expected a train, not an SUV.
A 70-year-old woman in the US accidentally drove her SUV onto an elevated light rail track while following GPS directions, leaving stunned commuters watching as a car rolled into a train station where only rail vehicles are supposed to go.
The bizarre incident unfolded at Seattle's Mount Baker light rail station on Tuesday evening, when a red Mazda CX-5 slowly made its way onto the southbound platform, disrupting train services and sparking a flood of viral videos online.
According to a report by The Seattle Times, passengers waiting for a train were left bewildered as the SUV emerged on the tracks and pulled up near the station platform.
Police later said the woman told officers she had been following navigation instructions when she mistakenly ended up on the rail line. Investigators are still trying to determine the exact route she took to reach the station.
As reported by The Seattle Times, witnesses believe the driver entered the trackway roughly half a mile from the station at a section where the rail tracks run alongside the roadway. From there, she appears to have continued driving onto infrastructure designed exclusively for trains, eventually reaching the elevated station platform.
The journey was far from smooth. Witnesses recalled hearing scraping and screeching noises as the vehicle travelled along the tracks, particularly in sections where the rail line rises above street level. Despite obstacles that would typically prevent ordinary vehicles from proceeding, the SUV somehow continued its climb and reached the station.
Videos from the scene showed transit personnel approaching the vehicle as confused passengers looked on. The incident forced authorities to suspend part of the city's light rail service and replace trains with shuttle buses while crews worked to remove the SUV.
Watch the video here:
According to The Seattle Times report, police said the woman did not appear to be under the influence, though officers noted she seemed disoriented and took extended periods to answer questions. She was later evaluated by emergency responders and taken to a hospital.
Transit workers eventually used a specialised rail maintenance vehicle to lift the Mazda off the tracks and transport it away from the station. Service resumed after crews inspected the rail infrastructure for damage.
The incident quickly went viral online, with many social media users expressing disbelief that GPS directions could lead someone onto a railway line. Others joked that the navigation system had taken "take the next track" a little too literally.
For now, investigators are continuing to examine how the driver managed to travel such a distance on the rail network before finally arriving at a station platform, a place where commuters expected a train, not an SUV.
