Union County SAR and Deputies respond to 13 stranded vehicles on Ruckle Rd yesterday

UNION COUNTY – (Release from Union County Search and Rescue) On the afternoon of Thursday, April 10, Union County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and Search and Rescue volunteers responded to an iPhone satellite SOS report of multiple stranded vehicles on Ruckle Road in Union County. On arrival, SAR found 13 vehicles that had traveled up the rough and snow-covered road following GPS guidance on their phones attempting to bypass closures of Interstate 84 and Highway 204 due to separate crashes.

Today’s incident marks a total of 46 stranded vehicles that SAR has responded to on a 5-mile stretch of Ruckle Road just this winter. In nearly all cases, vehicles have gotten stranded while following GPS maps on their phones. In today’s incident, it appeared that most drivers were following Apple Maps guidance around the closures.

This incident highlights the need for drivers to NOT follow GPS guidance off of main roadways during highway closures. Waiting for the main road to open will not only take far less time than getting stuck and waiting for rescue, but can save a driver hundreds if not thousands of dollars in vehicle tow and repair costs and many hours of valuable time spent by our dedicated volunteers and sheriffs deputies responding to stranded vehicles.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management, and Road Department are working collaboratively to identify enforceable solutions to prevent similar incidents on this road in the future.

Information on the similar situation that took place in November 2024 can be found at https://elkhornmediagroup.com/20-vehicles-stranded-in-union-county-following-incorrect-gps-maps/

**photo from Union County Search and Rescue**

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