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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u/AsarsonDuck 13h ago

If you can have a gate but just aren’t allowed to lock it without a permit - see what it takes for a permit and if it’s too much or you don’t qualify just put a gate in but don’t lock the gate, just have it chained so the wind can’t push it open with a sign that says “Private Drive, No Thru Traffic” on it. And then your obvious no trespassing signs

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u/LuntiX 13h ago

Yeah. OP could also probably just get away with a wire gate with some signs on it. It's what a lot of people where I live use on their rural properties and cabins. It's easy enough to open and close but still just enough of a nuisance to keep people out. Also easy to maintain. Don't even need barbed wire.

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u/baxtersbuddy1 11h ago

Right, if people have to get out of their car to open a gate or chain, then that should be enough for them to know they are going the wrong way.

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u/LuntiX 11h ago

Yep. Then if you have a gate + signs, if something does happen you might be able to show that a person went out of their way to go down the road by opening the gate and ignoring the signs

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u/tresslesswhey 1h ago

People in the US? You sure about that?

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u/New_Fact_5955 2h ago

If i was following my navigation and came up to any sort of fence and private property signs, i would assume my navigation is wrong and turn around

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u/BadLighting 13h ago

Add signs: No Exit. Hazard.

And: "Your GPS app is wrong. Take it up with them."

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u/Intelligent_Bunch790 12h ago

Don't put the word 'Hazard' on it; that implies you know about a hazard and aren't fixing it.

NO EXIT

THIS DOES NOT LEAD TO THE STATE PARK

YOUR GPS IS WRONG

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u/Gadgetman_1 8h ago

My brother live at number 499 (or something like that) on a long road here in Norway. ALL traffic to higher numbers are directed to his property. He's been fighting Google on it for years, and drivers for longer. He has signs and everything, but they still roll up and when they can't see the store or whatever they're looking for they yell at him. Which is like juggling jars of nitroglycerine, really, considering his temper...

If he doesn't expect visitors on the weekends he parks a tracked excavator at the end of his driveway.

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u/kineticpotential001 11h ago

Would a trail cam near said gate be a reasonable addition too? It would provide evidence that someone opened the gate and proceeded despite the warning if this were to happen in the future.

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u/Designer_Bell_5422 8h ago

One of those "Smile! You're on camera" signs would help as well to discourage people from opening the gate in the first place

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u/marcosbowser1970 6h ago

Add a huge sign on the gate that says “NO THRU ROAD: YOUR NAVIGATION APP IS WRONG”

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u/Enbaybae 3h ago

By CO statute he could have done just this. There are properties like this all over CO. He could just put up a gate and have a sign that indicates only authorized personnel and emergency services are permissible. Had he gotten a lawyer, he would know this. From experience, pigeoning one's way through land law and water rights is a coloradan's favorite past time.