LONDON (AFP) — A Czech lorry driver was stranded for three nights in south-west England after his satellite navigation system directed him down a narrow country lane, British newspapers reported Friday.
Yuri Odenhai, 45, was on his way to pick up a cargo of televisions from a depot in the county of Devon when his 40-tonne truck became stuck fast on a sharp bend near the village of Ivybridge, east of Plymouth.
The trucker's company, Kohlman and Hasek, refused to pay for an expensive recovery operation at the weekend, meaning the 50-foot (15-metre) long, eight-feet wide truck remained wedged in place.
Newspapers said Odenhai had tried to ask for directions before following the sat-nav down the lane but his English was not up to scratch and he could not make himself understood.
The lorry was eventually towed out by a tractor after a tree surgeon cut away surrounding vegetation.
Mat Auburn, 19, said his family took pity on Odenhai and invited him in for meals during his ordeal, striking up a friendship. But he preferred to stay in his cab overnight rather than find bed and breakfast accommodation.
"The diversion put a few miles on people's journeys. He had stopped near a house to ask for directions but the woman couldn't understand him," Auburn was quoted as telling The Times.
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