Driver Who Drove Down Staircase Claims She Was ‘Following Her GPS’

People used to get into a lot of car accidents when GPSes weren’t a thing yet. You know, when you had to look through maps or print out directions and read them as you were driving to find out where you were going. Talk about a road hazard!

Once GPSes gained popularity, crashes seemed to die down. After all, an electronic device stating where to go is a much easier way to keep your eyes on the road than always having to be distracted by reading a physical piece of paper.

That’s not to say that crashes never happen anymore. There was a recent crazy crash in Portland, Maine involving a woman who drove down a literal staircase—and her excuse was that she was simply following her GPS.

Sure, GPSes do sometimes give some wonky directions. But do they ever really tell you to drive down a flight of stairs? Police were skeptical of the excuse she used. In fact, officers with the Portland Police Department believe that the 26-year-old woman who was driving “felt it was her excessive blood alcohol level” that led to the accident.

The woman, who was driving a Toyota Highlander SUV, drove through the police department garage, across a pedestrian plaza, and down the stairs, never stopping to think those directions “from her GPS” might be a bit unusual.

Luckily, no one was hurt in the crash, and just some minor damage was done to the property. The situation could have been much, much worse!

“We are fortunate that she didn’t strike anyone and this ended with just a small amount of property damage,” the Portland Police Department wrote in a Facebook post, adding, “Please don’t drink and drive.”

The woman was issued a summons for allegedly operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

That wasn’t the only odd crash that night. Portland Police also reported a man from out of state who got his car stuck on the train tracks off Congress Street. The GPS didn’t have anything to do with it—apparently, the man just got lost and had no idea he was on train tracks until he was stuck. Luckily, the police didn’t determine any alcohol in that case.

Check out the video below to hear more about both of these crashes!

Have you ever heard of a car crash involving driving down a flight of stairs? What’s the weirdest crash you’ve ever read about or witnessed in real life?