GPS leads DoorDash driver delivering Dunkin to a Massachusetts swamp, police say

Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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A DoorDash driver was charged negligent operation of a motor vehicle after they drove their car into a body of water in Middleton, a town 30 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts, while following their GPS, authorities have said.

Middleton Police, in a statement, said that they received a call for a car in a body of water in the woods last Friday morning. The driver was able to exit the vehicle and walk out of the woods to a home nearby, said the police.

As officers arrived on scene, they found the driver "panicked, claiming that their vehicle was underwater".

The driver told the police that they were following their GPS to an address in Middleton while trying to deliver Dunkin Donuts for DoorDash and had the delivery in hand.

"The driver said that while trying to make the delivery to an address on Mill Street in Middleton, same began driving down a dirt road, and then somehow ended up driving into a body of water," said the police statement.

A DoorDash driver ended up in a swamp as they were on their way to deliver a Dunkin Donuts order to an address in Middleton, Massachusetts.
A DoorDash driver ended up in a swamp as they were on their way to deliver a Dunkin Donuts order to an address in Middleton, Massachusetts.

Authorities present on site began searching for the vehicle, eventually finding it down a dirt path. The vehicle was still running and partially submerged in the water. It was towed from the scene, police said.

There did not appear to be any leakage from the vehicle into the body of water.

The driver was evaluated for any injuries by the Middleton Fire Dept. and was transported to a local hospital, upon his request.

The operator was charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle and a Request for Immediate Threat License Suspension was filed with the RMV, said the police.

Meanwhile, a DoorDash spokesperson, in an email to USA TODAY said, that the company is actively investigating this incident and getting in touch with local law enforcement to learn more.

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Google Maps sued

This is not the first time that a GPS user had been led astray.

Earlier this month, a North Carolina woman filed a negligence lawsuit against Google's parent company Alphabet and held Google Maps responsible for the death her husband last year after he drove his car off a collapsed bridge following directions from the GPS service.

In the lawsuit, the deceased's wife alleged that Google Maps directed him to cross the Snow Creek Bridge as he drove through an unfamiliar neighborhood heading home from his daughter's birthday party.

The state troopers who found the body of the Navy veteran and father of two in an upside down and partially submerged truck said he drove off an unguarded edge crashing 20 feet below, the court filing states. The troopers added there were no warning signs or barriers present along the roadway, which wasn't repaired by the time of the incident.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Massachusetts DoorDash driver ends up in a swamp while following GPS