According to SFGate, Shelby Easler, her brother Austin, and their partners were driving back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas on November 19, using Google Maps for navigation. The group reportedly decided to take an alternative route off Interstate 15 after the app informed them that a dust storm was causing delays on the freeway. The app also showed that the off-road route was 50 minutes faster, making it a bit of a no-brainer.
However, the alternative route turned out to be too good to be true, as it led them into the middle of the Mojave Desert, where the dust storm and the rough terrain badly damaged their car.
