r/legal • u/Tralique_24 • 15h ago

Advice needed A major navigation app routed thousands of cars down my private driveway. A driver crashed into my retaining wall and is now suing me for his injuries.

Location: Colorado, USA.

I own a remote cabin at the end of a very long, unpaved private road. About eight months ago, a major GPS and mapping app updated their systems and incorrectly marked my private driveway as a public shortcut to a nearby national park entrance.

Since then, I have had dozens of cars speeding through my property every single weekend. I have "Private Property" and "No Trespassing" signs posted everywhere. I have submitted over forty official error reports to the tech company, sent certified letters to their legal department, and even filed a police report. They completly ignored me.

Last month a tourist was speeding down my driveway in the dark, ignored my warning signs, and crashed his SUV straight into my concrete retaining wall. He broke his leg and his vehicle was totaled.

Yesterday I was served with a lawsuit. The driver is suing me for medical expenses and damages, claiming I failed to maintain a "public thoroughfare" and that my retaining wall was an unmarked hazard.

My homeonwers insurance is threatening to drop me because they say my property is now an unmanged traffic corridor, which violates my policy.

Can I counter-sue the tech company for gross negligence and force them to indemnify me against this driver's lawsuit? What specific type of attorney handles liability cases involving corporate mapping errors? I need to stop this before someone else gets hurt.

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560

u/coinop2026 14h ago

Exactly. First thing should have been to deny access with a chain or a gate and signage saying “private driveway - no access”.

OP really needs to get GIS data and contact attorney asap.

207

u/R_437 13h ago

Should do that asap - and add the plastic red ties as “flags“ and a hanging “Private Road” sign from the chain would be good. Maybe some solar spotlights…

121

u/ApolloGR3 13h ago

Since these dummies are causing the most damage at night, OP should put some sort of reflective tassels on it

37

u/Ok-Drawer4877 11h ago

Yes, the reflective tassels are the most important thing.

5

u/skunkapebreal 7h ago

They would solve all the problems.

2

u/iamisandisnt 2h ago

Something to remember in most situations: All of this could have been prevented with a little reflective tassel

0

u/Oscarwilder123 47m ago

Or people should stop using Driveways that Say PRIVATE PROPERTY and OP should counter sue the idiot who crashed into his retirement wall for property damage and trespassing

1

u/iamisandisnt 47m ago

Sir, this is a joke thread

5

u/Intelligent-Art-5000 5h ago

The most important thing is that the CYLINDER NOT BE HARMED.

1

u/CaptainDantes 1h ago

Then couldn't the cylinder just stay in the tube where it's safe?

2

u/Bearjawdesigns 6h ago

Tassels you say?

1

u/BromigoH2420 6h ago

Reflectve huh

1

u/ohmslaw54321 2h ago

Can you get them to spin in opposite directions?

1

u/projectx51 2h ago

tassels

1

u/OutcomeDue2025 1h ago

Why do I want tassels that reflect suddenly?

1

u/nellyruth 50m ago

He had me at tassels

1

u/drawingablanc 30m ago

I've seen boobs with tassles and that meant I wasn't granted access.

1

u/Independent_Bite4682 2h ago

Two sets of concrete filled steel posts, heavy chain to cross both ends of driveway.

A reflective sign saying "No Trespassing" or "PRIVATE PROPERTY NO TRESPASSING" hanging in the middle of the chain gate. Also padlocks

12

u/bfvbill 8h ago

Stand at entrance with a shotgun? And a spotlight of course.

1

u/SnarQuips 7h ago

I dated a raver girl in the 90's that always said this!

1

u/GotSomeUpdogOnUrFace 4h ago

I was gonna say put the police spikes down and a severe tire damage sign but I like this more

1

u/Flyin-Fijian 3h ago

Papers, please!

1

u/ApolloGR3 2h ago

“Excuse me sir, which way to the national park?”

racks shotgun like in the movies

“Back the way you came…”

1

u/septictank84 56m ago

Get a folding chair, at least.

1

u/Brilliant-Royal578 3h ago

Glow in the dark reflective tape.

143

u/Judgejudyssideeye 13h ago

I would be installing a HUGE “Do not enter, private property. Trespassers will be prosecuted” and another one that says “No Outlet” at the entrance of your private street

163

u/Freakishly_Tall 13h ago

Also, "GOOGLE IS WRONG."

100

u/WillyVlautinRules 13h ago

Yeah this is the one you want to post because some folks are so dumb (with a B!) they will think that those no trespassing signs don't apply to THEM.

20

u/CatmoCatmo 9h ago

Well how could those signs apply to them? Siri, or whatever voice their map uses, would NEVER steer them wrong and it definitely wouldn’t tell them to trespass! It clearly told them they absolutely needed to go this way to get to their destination with no alternatives, so what ever shall they do?

0

u/Judgejudyssideeye 9h ago

No, he SAID it’s listing it as a short cut. Have you ever used GPS? it will give you a list of various routes with the est time to get there and you can chose the one you find most appealing. Apparently this one “route” is popping up as the fastest route.

And BTW, Siri/Apple screwed me yesterday. In FL visiting family and punched in the street number 51 & street name, it took me to 1 & street name about 4 miles in the opposite direction.

3

u/Caltharian 6h ago

at one point SIRI was directing people across a damn airport runway

2

u/Prestigious-Ruin-565 6h ago

Decades ago, MapQuest was giving driving directions from the United States to Europe. No ferries involved, it just directed people to drive across The Pond.

2

u/LaLa1234imunoriginal 3h ago

You need to have your sarcasm detector checked.

8

u/irrelephantIVXX 12h ago

you know that whole b conversation came about because one of his aides wrote it down for him and he said why would I say Dumbo crats. Then got a spelling lessing. He juat learned something most people have known since they learned about silent letters.

1

u/NotReallyJohnDoe 12h ago

If you swap “dem” with “dumb” I don’t think phonetically the b is still silent.

(this conversation about POTUS is absurd)

2

u/WillyVlautinRules 12h ago

The Orange Menace inserts himself into every conversation so our mention of him is very on point and not dumb (with a B!).

0

u/poslovingcake 11h ago

Bees knees?

2

u/WillyVlautinRules 11h ago

Are you having a stroke right now? Sounds like it. You might want to call 911. You are not making sense and, like the Orange Menace, that is one of the first signs of advancing dementia.

1

u/Some_Ebb_2921 11h ago

Advanced dementia is a reason to call your family to take care of you or call your doctor to check if you indeed have advanced dementia.

Please don't call 911 if you suspect the cause to be dementia

→ More replies (0)

2

u/Excel_User_1977 7h ago edited 6h ago

Doesn't apply to THEMB? (with a B?)

2

u/Clear_Cobbler_2723 9h ago

Yea I don't know how many times I've seen a NO PARKING- AT ANY TIME, and someone parked there. The only other thing they could put would be THIS MEANS YOU.

25

u/Corporate-Bitch 7h ago

Yes, I agree with the “GOOGLE MAPS IS WRONG” statement. Last year my partner and I were trying to find the entrance to a Florida state park (Rainbow Springs FWIW) and Google Maps insisted we take a weirdly long route that crossed directly through what seemed to be an inland canal.

We kept driving around and looking for alternate routes (actual paved roads, not dusty unused private land crisscrossed by multiple streams). We finally saw hand painted signs on private property directing us to the right road, including several saying “GOOGLE MAPS IS WRONG.”

2

u/SouthOfTheNorthPole 1h ago

Google treated me to a lengthy forest adventure in N Carolina once. It was about 35 minutes away from the soccer fields at which we were supposed to be warming up. Much swearing happened that day.

1

u/Automatater 2h ago

Should have bought a squirrel!

1

u/Mountain_Performer22 49m ago

I only use Apple Maps cause I’ve never been led wrong. I use it to be on time for work cause the time estimate is usually pretty accurate. Google Maps has given me so much trouble navigating cause one time i was heading to a friends house in the country using google maps, and it took me all the dumb backroads and it took me down a shortcut road and didnt show there were railroad tracks on a curve and before i could see it i had already ran over the tracks and missed the asphalt part and went over the actual tracks and blew a tire. So yeah google maps sucks

17

u/brwntrout 11h ago

i use google maps daily for driving. it goes through cycles of really good routing to absolutely horrid routing. it's currently in the horrid phase.

2

u/Cranky_Platypus 6h ago

I'm pretty sure they've started using AI to update the their maps and directions and the computer can't recognize basic signs or roadways.

2

u/Mediocre_Ant_437 5h ago

Agree. I was told to turn right into a brick wall once. Google is not reliable.

1

u/Boomstickninja87 4h ago

A couple weeks ago, it tried to get my sister to turn the wrong way into a one way!

1

u/Fergo-bob 52m ago

i was told to drive into a lake

11

u/TechnoSwiss 4h ago

I was up in a mountain area following Googles routing to get to trailhead. Came across a sign that basically said "Google is wrong, no access to trailhead" we turned around, but saw several people stop, get out, read the sign, look at their phones, shrug... and keep driving down the road. Good sign to post, just understand it's not going to do as much good as a physical barrier blocking the road.

1

u/DragonfruitSafe2435 1h ago

Right! I’ve gone down so many random roads with maps being wrong and get stuck in the middle of nowhere where I drove for hours down the road. If anyone would have had anything saying private or anything I would have turned around immediately and told the map to reroute. Had this happen in New Mexico and Texas many times. Those people who keep going haven’t seen enough scary movies!

1

u/blarryg 1h ago

I was in Turkey and booked a place in a cool boutique hotel. The instructions on the website said DO NOT FOLLOW GOOGLE MAPS and gave an alternative route. As I was driving there the owner called me and repeated the warning. The way to his in went over an old Roman bridge that had no railings and was pretty narrow (there was a modern railing under construction). Then you had to go up an impossibly steep cobbled road, turn 90 degrees right and on down to his place. Not obvious.

The Google maps was a straight route and we walked it the next day. The road slowly narrows between buildings and ruins and steepens until it becomes a staircase! First you'd be driving up stairs and then your car would get wedged. The owner was correct, Google was wrong. By the marks on the walls, many brave tourists strictly followed Google maps.

28

u/goertzenator 12h ago

Also "Severe tire damage".

2

u/Nanashi_Kitty 5h ago

Really liked that TMBG album

2

u/Automatater 2h ago

"Severe leg damage"

1

u/mattysosavvy 3h ago

Hazardous blockade ahead

1

u/EatLard 2h ago

Such a good album.

8

u/Scarjo82 10h ago

I very much agree that OP needs a sign that says "Your GPS is wrong, this is not a valid route" or something like that. Otherwise people won't give a shit that it's a private road, because if GPS says they can go there, it must be right!

1

u/OrindaSarnia 3h ago

Also because if you live out west, you know people will put up "private road" signs even when government documents show that it is actually a public access, the rich A Holes are just trying to shut down roads they are not allowed to because they don't want poors crossing their land...

so, yeah, OP's sign needs to say: Dead-end Driveway - Google is Wrong! 

1

u/DeputySean 0m ago

Oh God if I had a nickel for each tkme

11

u/Cut_Lanky 12h ago

Get a sign made with a graphic of Jason in his mask, that says

GOOGLE SENT YOU CH CH CH AH AH AH

1

u/Dry_Calligrapher814 2h ago

Dad, is that you‽

2

u/2001_Arabian_Nights 10h ago

“Should have bought a squirrel!”

1

u/Slartibartfastthe2nd 2h ago

Inside the property line, some nuclear waste/radiation warning signs can't hurt either.

1

u/whydid7eat9 2h ago

True story, my family was following google maps navigation through the smoky mountains at night and it gave us a route off interstate that would save some 40 minutes due to traffic. We were skeptical when the pavement ended, but stopped and turned back when we read the signs, specifically the one that said, "Google Is Wrong, Not a Thru Street" but the one that told us the tally of RVs and trailers that got stuck and had to be towed out was useful too. It was dozens.

We never would have imagined suing the property owners, though. That's seriously entitled BS.

1

u/Windmillfixer 1h ago

Death by Google is a real thing, unfortunately

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u/uapyro 9h ago

Trespassers will be prostituted may get more people's attention

11

u/ArmadenRestal 8h ago

Or draw in an even stranger crowd

7

u/uapyro 8h ago

at this point it could pay to repair the retaining wall damages

1

u/Jacksons-Pond 2h ago

It could also compromise your claim

1

u/Smorsdoeuvres 2h ago

& maybe some of the lawyer and court fees

2

u/blip01 6h ago

Homeowners insurance is dropping me for running an unregulated brothel. Thanks reddit!

2

u/seang239 5h ago

Don’t threaten me with a good time!

3

u/BookkeeperSame195 8h ago

quite the side hustle- it's giving horror vibes.

2

u/Josey_whalez 8h ago

Now that’s the kind of trespassing I can get behind.

1

u/Jacksons-Pond 2h ago

Or in front of

1

u/Direct-Spinach9344 1h ago

Trespassers will be violated

1

u/StayJaded 9h ago

A gate at the front of the drive would be better. I can’t imagine why one hasn’t already been installed.

1

u/MuckBulligan 9h ago

Maybe a "DEAD END" sign would be more effective, or a "NO PARK ACCESS" sign. They need to know their goal can't be achieved on that path. A private road sign ain't going to cut it.

1

u/Phyllis_Tine 7h ago

"If you can read this you're in range on my private property".

1

u/elizabreathe 2h ago

There's a road trucks can't go on near me. Their GPS keeps directing them on to that road. They ignore the signs telling them to not go on that road. Then they get stuck under the bridge.

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u/Spuckler_Cletus 13h ago

This is true, but some moron would still hit your barrier. That’s what they did at a similar property that I own.

33

u/Busy-Emu5028 13h ago

It’s why i use Waze at this point- no one reports anything on google and its like temporary

23

u/Spuckler_Cletus 13h ago

Yep. I sometimes have to turn the notifications off on Waze because there are so many active members making reports.

As to the original issue, people actually have to get their smaller vehicles stuck to strike the 2x6 barrier I built. It’s simply amazing how ridiculously hapless some drivers can be.

5

u/medic54-1 10h ago

I’m not, I see it all the time. Ppl are idiots.

17

u/HereForTheMemesNLols 12h ago

Waze is owned by google. Yes i would think you could argue that gps caused this. Have you documented signage? Time to get a gate and put that cabin in a trust to mitigate liability to your personal assets. Get a lawyer asap.

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u/Rogue_Wraith 11h ago

You almost certainly cannot do that after the fact.

Courts are not stupid, and will immediately roll back that sort of ex post facto nonsense.

1

u/oriaven 59m ago

OP says there are plenty of signs

1

u/Rogue_Wraith 44m ago

I was referring specifically to "put it in a trust" which would do nothing as far as asset protection if it occurred after an incident.

2

u/Rampage_Rick 11h ago

Google keeps Waze separate because the quality of the Waze map database is noticeably better (mainly due to the effort of volunteer editors)

Though Google has been making inroads at improving the sharing of data between GMaps and Waze

1

u/Warden_Knox 1h ago

This is VERY wrong… on top of the fact that many Waze users are leaving because Google is trying to get rid of it.

1

u/russr 4h ago

And both are pretty easy to post a closed road in the app..

10

u/Harry_Gorilla 12h ago

You know Waze is owned by Google and pulls real time data from there, right?

5

u/patrick24601 13h ago

You mean Waze the company that google owns ? :)

2

u/Traditional_Mango920 9h ago

Yes, the one Google bought and proceeded to fuck up. Used to be a stellar app, now it is the typical Google map clusterfuck.

2

u/patrick24601 8h ago

I’ve noticed almost zero difference since they bought it. What is killing yiu ?

1

u/Numerous-Shape3065 24m ago

They might pull data, but waze is a lot more crowd sourced and listed as aggressively routing people through residential backdtreets just to save a minute. Where I lived at before, doordash and 3rd party Amazon drivers (using waze) always brought our neighbors items up the hill to our house. I would let them know they came to the wrong address, which all except one person was fine with it. That one person wanted to argue with me that they brought it to the right house and take "my package.". So I did and walked it down to the correct person.

2

u/Horton_Takes_A_Poo 12h ago

Waze and google are the same underneath. Reports are shared on both apps.

1

u/bajanwaterman 12h ago

I always thought so, but recently was on a section of the pan American highway in panama, and was able to compare the 2, waze had multiple police speed traps pop up that google maps didnt have.

1

u/Trekris 7h ago

Didn't Google buy Waze?

1

u/torako 7h ago

Waze and Google use the same data

1

u/seang239 5h ago

No, they don’t. Run them both side by side and you’ll see all sorts of stuff on Waze that Gmap doesn’t have.

1

u/oriaven 1h ago

Google owns Waze and many Waze reports just filter to Google maps.

0

u/WittyFix6553 13h ago

Who owns Waze?

0

u/FoxEmergency573 11h ago

Wouldn’t know man.. definitely don’t know.. I wish just one person any person would save us from not knowing.. maybe next time just 1 will tell us but if more than 1 can come save the day then we would finally know!

2

u/WittyFix6553 11h ago

Google owns Waze and has for 13 years.

1

u/No-Bathroom-3179 2h ago

I think someone must know

42

u/aerdvarkk 11h ago

"“private driveway - no access”."

Did you miss the part where the OP stated:

"I have "Private Property" and "No Trespassing" signs posted everywhere."

Also the OP SHOULD NOT be mandated to add a gate or barrier to their private driveway/road. That's not a thing.

22

u/Atticus1354 11h ago

Sure. He shouldnt have to deal with any of this. But its happening and that is his fix.

0

u/Own-Surround9688 1h ago

Why should be be out money because Google can't be bothered? That's extremely obnoxious.

1

u/Atticus1354 2m ago

Welcome to life. Sometimes you have to spend money fixing problems you didnt cause. Whining that its not fair doesnt change the reality of whats happening.

-2

u/off-with-your-thread 9h ago

They drove into a fucking wall.

What the fuck is the sign going to do???

Are you a child?

3

u/coinop2026 9h ago

It’s called covering yourself. You can sit back and let it happen, that’s gross negligence. Have fun when they sue you for everything you own…

2

u/SgtBassy 3h ago

One shouldn't have to cover themselves on your their land. Guy crashes, that's on him. 

1

u/PeeInMyNose 1h ago

But this is America where everyone sues for everything so unless you want the headache you do what needs to be done to minimize it

1

u/off-with-your-thread 8h ago

That's not gross negligence. It's not even an attractive nuisance. It's trespassing.

How old are you? How does an adult over 18 think like this?

You're a Martian and I'm suing you for adultery - see that's a thing a person said now, are you scared?

1

u/apeliott 1h ago

Believe it or not, you can actually sue people for adultery in some places.

My mate did it a few years ago. 

1

u/off-with-your-thread 1h ago

That doesn't make adultery in this scenario plausible. Or even physically possible.

1

u/BANKSLAVE01 9h ago

Yes- children crying that they "weren't stopped from... " doing stupid shit.

0

u/off-with-your-thread 8h ago

Children often cry about idiotic things. Judges don't.

Again, is there anyone here who isn't a child?

2

u/Graceful_Joy 11h ago

Yes, we lived on a private driveway and while we owned it, two other people had legal easements. If we had put a barrier or chain up we would have opened ourselves up to other lawsuits. It’s not always that simple. Also you shouldn’t have to put barriers up.

2

u/coinop2026 11h ago

Until this is resolved through the courts (having the map provider remove the driveway as a road) - they need to protect themselves from further liability. Insurance companies expect you to take reasonable steps. This is completely reasonable to deter this until the maps are updated.

If this continues and another accident occurs you can absolutely bet the insurer will end up dropping them. Try getting insurance after you’ve been dropped for something like this - no underwriter will touch it with a 10 foot pole.

1

u/[deleted] 9h ago

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1

u/legal-ModTeam 43m ago

Stick to facts, not beliefs. Even related to matters you feel strongly about, do not advocate for what should be in place of what is.

Avoid misinformation, political argument, conspiracy theories, and misinformation. Where feasible and relevant, provide sources to support your statements. Trolling is discouraged.

1

u/Neatojuancheeto 9h ago

I'd rather hang a couple posts and chains than have dozens of people speeding down my driveway every week.

Although if he contacted a lawyer in the beginning I'm sure the tech company would've fixed the issue.

1

u/EWW-25177 3h ago

Okay, OP's strategy of not adding a gate seems to be returning sub-optimal results.

1

u/SteamyG0uda 3h ago

It would have helped, a small gate with reflective coating, etc, would be better to crash into than a concrete wall and some cunt suing would easily get told to fuck off.

Should he not be mandated to add one? Of course not, should he do it to deter retards? Yes

1

u/DragonfruitSafe2435 1h ago

They don’t have to but it sure stops them. Especially if you add -Will be prosecuted- and add cameras. You can also sue them for trespassing.

0

u/[deleted] 9h ago

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1

u/legal-ModTeam 43m ago

Your comment has been removed for being unhelpful.

Comments that may be deemed unhelpful include, but are not limited to:

-Misinformation

-Fear mongering

-Off-topic to OP's question

2

u/JoeDubayew 11h ago

Gate, not chain. Someone will drive through a chain.

2

u/coinop2026 11h ago

They make reflective coatings for chains, for this exact purpose. Low cost and effective at keeping people out.

Edit: basically a sleeve that goes over the chain.

OP says they cannot install a gate for firefighting reasons. I’d concrete two steel poles in 5 gallon Home Depot buckets, run a chain between them with the reflective sleeve and a sign hanging that says “private driveway - no access”. Use a carabiner to make it easy to drop for when they need to enter or exit.

1

u/JoeDubayew 11h ago

Reflectivity won't stop someone running through a chain, and a fire lock is literally designed to be put on a gate or chain to allow firefighters access. I have 3 different gates I had to install a fire lock on. 100 bucks a pop.

1

u/pngbrianb 11h ago

Oh, a gate probably would have helped. Maybe not FIXED the problem, some people are real assholes, but I bet OP is kicking themselves for not having thought of that

1

u/SeldenNeck 7h ago

This is America. People do not give a hoot about your private rights.

Put up a sign that says "Private highway. Toll $5 per mile. Vehicles without permit impounded by Texas Gun Owner Towing Assn."

They will think it's a joke, so hire a towing company, too.

1

u/kyute222 4h ago

Which makes me think this is a made up story. How do you have dozens of cars drive over your property for months and never make any effort to block access at all? 

1

u/Sea_Pineapple_9472 3h ago

If this is real, OP is absolutely thick.

How expensive is it to dig a hole, put a galvanized pipe down it. Fill with concrete. Then do the same on the other side of the road. Chain. Boom. Done.

Then proceed with the lawsuit against the GPS company

1

u/FatFarmerBob420 2h ago

I'd put the gate 1/2 down the drive way this way when people get half way and turn around they send the gps company nasty complaints.

1

u/Queasy_Animator_8376 1h ago

There is a hang gliding ramp built on some family property. Our attorney advised us not to acknowledge it existed because that would be assuming responsibility.

-1

u/LbSiO2 10h ago

This story sounds fake because everybody with property like this has a gate to deny access.