Worst Detour Ever: A Quebec Driver's GPS Guided Him Straight Into A River

A GPS system proved to be more harmful than helpful for a Quebec driver on Wednesday night when he followed his navigation system right into a river.

At around 7:30 p.m. on December 8, listening to his GPS, the man took rue Sanderson in Hudson, which leads to the Ottawa River, a spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) told MTL Blog. The SQ had a police officer at the scene of the incident.

According to Le Journal de Montréal, the man "drove almost 3 metres into the water before realizing his mistake and calling for help."

The location serves as the terminal for the Oka-Hudson Ferry during the summer season and turns into an ice bridge in February and March.

Le Journal de Montréal reported that Claude Desjardins, who owns Traverse Oka-Hudson, witnessed the event and used his equipment to help get the vehicle out of the water.

The SQ said the man was not injured, there was no damage to his car and there were no other people involved in the incident.

"He was able to take his car and then to go back to where he wanted to go," the spokesperson said.

In Le Journal de Montréal's article, Desjardins is quoted as saying that the driver was able to "slip through the obstacles to reach the shore," which include two snowbanks set up between the street and the river "to block passers-by."

The SQ spokesperson told MTL Blog there were also signs notifying drivers not to access the location.

According to SQ records, the man was given tips on how to get home safely and was not issued any sort of ticket for the event.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.