German driver gets stuck in Swiss cherry tree

Jul 21, 2007 09:50 GMT  ·  By
This is not the actual truck, but imagine that in a dark and narrow alley, and you'll get the idea.
   This is not the actual truck, but imagine that in a dark and narrow alley, and you'll get the idea.

GPS receivers have become widely used in recent years, using satellite signals in navigating airplanes, ships and automobiles and in using cell phones, mining, surveying and even transferring money, but even the most expensive piece of technology can't function in case of massive human stupidity.

A German truck driver was trying to deliver the cargo to a factory in Switzerland and since he didn't know his way around the industrial complex, he used the GPS to assist him in finding the right depot.

He listened to his onboard navigation system, actually to the soothing voice of a young lady, who told him which turns he had to take and which he had to avoid. He was so mesmerized with the charming voice, that he ignored several no entry signs and hit the jackpot.

Actually, the jackpot was a cherry tree in a narrow pedestrian lane. The driver's blind faith in modern technology made him so blind to the actual road in front of him, that he did not estimate the width of his truck vs. the width of the lane and went right ahead.

He tried to reverse his way out of the much too narrow pedestrian lane and was successful in damaging two lamp posts, a hedge and in ultimately getting his truck stuck in the branches of a cherry tree. The innocent bystander was there for decades, until he became the target of "evil" technology.

According to council workers in the Swiss town of Sempach, they had to use chainsaws to get the truck out of the hug of the old cherry tree and back on the road. The police in the Lucerne region were surprised by the behavior of the driver and at first didn't know if they should laugh or fine him.

"He obstinately followed the female voice of the navigation system and drove another 300 meters (yards) until the lane came to an end," they added. The driver did not find the incident very funny, as he was fined 650 Swiss francs (390 euros, 540 dollars) and most probably has to explain to his employer what's with all the cherries inside the truck...