Amazon Van Follows GPS Onto the 'Doomway' Path

Medieval England just collided with the gig economy, and the loser was an Amazon delivery van. The New York Times reports that a driver trying to reach Foulness Island in southeast England followed GPS directions and drove onto the Broomway, a six-mile, 600-year-old walking path in Essex that has a reputation as one of Britain's most lethal paths. (It's long been referred to as "the Doomway.") The van ended up stuck in the mud flats on Sunday; the driver got out safely, and Amazon later hired a local farmer to haul the vehicle back to solid ground, according to a Facebook post by HM Coastguard Southend.

The BBC reports that the Broomway runs across tidal sands that can vanish under fast-moving water and sea fog, conditions blamed for more than 100 deaths over the years, though the last was recorded in 1919. Per the Coastguard, "The Broomway route is not for vehicles and should only be walked on with a guide who knows the mud flats. It is an extremley [sic] dangerous area and is on [Ministry of Defence] property only free to access when the firing ranges are not active and barrier is open." A local guide who leads walking tours told the Times that it's "not a place to go if you don't know where you're going."