Google Maps error allegedly leads to demolition of wrong house

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CNET

Google Maps error allegedly leads to demolition of wrong house

Technically Incorrect: Take two streets with similar sounding names. Add a Google Maps error. Result: a Texas house disappears.

March 24, 2016
3:54 PM PDT
by Chris Matyszczyk
@ChrisMatyszczyk

The motto of Billy L. Nabors Demolition, a Seagoville, Texas, company that razes buildings, says it all.

"We could wreck the world."

As WFAA-TV reports, the company was sent to demolish 7601 and 7603 Cousteau Drive, a tornado-damaged duplex in Rowlett, Texas. Somehow, 7601 and 7603 Calypso Drive, another tornado-damaged duplex a block away, was torn down.

The owner of one half of the duplex, Lindsay Diaz, told WFAA that she drove up to the property, only to discover it was gone.

Read more: http://www.cnet.com/news/google-maps-error-leads-demolition-company-to-tear-down-the-wrong-house/

[LiberalFighter]

1. They didn't look at the street sign?

I wouldn't blame Google on this. Even though it was mapped wrong.

[pediatricmedic]

2. Quite possible the street signs were down from tornado damage

[LiberalFighter]

3. That might be true.

But the Google map likely had the streets named correctly. The directions part was probably the faulty part.

I know of one place that I put in that goes to the wrong place but the actual address has the correct road name.

[William Seger]

7. The sign was down

It seems Google Maps did give bad directions because of mislabeling, but it's easy to see why the demo crew did not catch it: Cousteau and Calypso are parallel, block-long streets connected on one end by a short street. The sign above was at one corner of the connecting street.

ETA: And actually, the house that was demolished was right on that corner where this sign was blown down, so if the demo crew saw it, they probably assumed they were on Cousteau and had the right house.

[PatrynXX]

4. I probably would

since it's intended as a backup guide. if it's not a backup guide why does it exist. now was there a streetview , that would be good to know. if there was then it's clearly wreck the world or wreck texas and yes it is in streetview using the above addresses both shoulda been rather obvious X_X


https://www.google.com/maps/@32.8992672,-96.5281556,3a,75y,36.22h,88.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIc1ZWEya63qKY902ErDJBg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1 take a ride

[LiberalFighter]

6. Streetview might have shown the street sign.

[SoapBox]

5. Uhhhh...

"Billy L. Nabors didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Remarkably, though, its CEO, George Gomez, told WFAA on Thursday that his company's mistake was "not a big deal."

[rpannier]

8. I wonder if that will be part of his defnse in court during the lawsuit

"It's not a big deal."
Until the jury decides it is a big deal

[Dawson Leery]

9. If I were on the jury, I would have no problem bankrupting the company

and it's owner for this.

[HuskyOffset]

11. I wonder . . .

if it would be "not a big deal" if it was his fucking house that got incorrectly demolished. What an asshole.

[Javaman]

14. I would like to hear the rest of his comment.

because frankly, I honestly believe that a guy that does this for a living would say just that and only that.

it probably goes something more along the lines of "not a big deal, it happens a lot in storm clean ups like this. this is why we have insurance".

[longship]

10. Maybe the destructor bot got the wrong instructions.

[csziggy]

12. Hopefully the personal possessions were out of the demolished duplex

Apparently the demolished place was also damaged. From the link in the OP: "The owners of the Calypso Drive duplex were in the process of trying to decide whether to rebuild, which seems fairly substantial to me."

Maybe the owners of the Calypso Drive place will come out ahead - they got free demolition and could easily get a substantial or even full funding for building a new place.

I'd still be pissed at the demolition company!

[greymouse]

13. I hope their posessions were saved also.

The demolition company has behaved very badly about this. Not even an apology.

[Justice]

15. Demolition company's error to demolish wrong house - not Google Maps.

GOOGLE DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT TO YOU THAT:

[google maps] WILL

MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS;
BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE;
BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE.

[Deuce]

16. Yes, this error is the sole responsibility of the demolition company...

3. Actual Conditions; Assumption of Risk. When you use Google Maps/Google Earth's map data, traffic, directions, and other Content, you may find that actual conditions differ from the map results and Content, so exercise your independent judgment and use Google Maps/Google Earth at your own risk. You’re responsible at all times for your conduct and its consequences.

https://www.google.com/intl/en_us/help/terms_maps.html

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

17. I'm sorry, but you don't use google maps as your only verification when demolishing buildings.

That's about the dumbest think imaginable!

[Not Sure]

18. You go by the legal definition of the property, not the map

In this case, it would be a platted subdivision lot. Having worked as a surveyor for two decades (and having surveyed the wrong house before, which was embarrassing but made an impression), the proper way to do it is use legal description of the property and the plat map of the subdivision to locate the correct lot. This is especially true when it comes to something that's not reversible like demolition.

This wrecking company is one of the big ones around here (I live near this tornado damaged area). I hope this results in changes to their procedures.

A house near me was demolished a few months ago. For one month prior, signs were posted on all sides of the property that the building would be demolished on a certain date. The doors and windows were marked with large orange Xs. On demolition day the house was razed.

Something like this process shouldn't be optional, it should be required for demolition.