AYER, MASS. (WHDH) - Ayer police say a woman who was following GPS directions veered off a road and onto railroad tracks, leaving her car stranded with severe damage early Thursday morning.
Officers responding to a report of a motorist driving along the Pan Am Railways just after midnight learned a vehicle had become stranded near the Sandy Pond crossing, according to the Ayer Police Department.
All passenger and freight trains were brought to an emergency stop. Responding officers then found a 42-year-old woman in her car about 75 feet east of the crossing.
The woman told police that she was following her GPS device, accidentally turned onto the tracks, and couldn’t back up.
“The operator decided that she would try and forge ahead to the next crossing; a decision that proved more than her vehicle could mechanically handle,” the department said.
The trek along the tracks is said to have caused major undercarriage damage to the woman’s car.
No charges were filed against the driver.
Police used the incident as a chance to remind motorists about how to handle such situations.
“If you find your self stuck on the tracks in any form or fashion, the first thing you need to do is get all occupants out of your vehicle and off the tracks, then call 911!” the department said.
An investigation is ongoing.
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