Uber driver misjudges tide and becomes a water taxi

A British Uber driver misjudged the speed of an incoming tide last week and ended up stranded on a causeway between an island and the mainland.

According to The Express, Matt Bradshaw and a friend were on Holy Island off the coast of Northumberland shooting footage of the famous castle there with a drone camera. On their way home, Bradshaw spotted a white sedan struggling through the rising tide across one of the causeways that connects Holy Island to the mainland and decided to break the drone out again to record the crossing.

"I went out to Holy Island with a friend to take footage of the castle," Bradshaw told Express. "We saw the vehicle coming over from the island side. It was very brave of him and I decided to film him."

The white car was an Uber with a passenger aboard. The Uber driver drove across the half submerged causeway toward a small patch of dry road. By the time the driver reached the dry part of the causeway, the last portion was completely submerged, blocking access to the mainland. At that point, the passenger decided to get out and walk around a bit. He even waved for Bradshaw's camera. Rescue workers, apparently used to this kind of foolishness, arrived quickly to extract the stranded motorists.

"I was in the military for 24 years and I've seen lots of things but nothing as ridiculous as that," Bradshaw told Express.

The Holy Island causeway is regularly submerged by tides, and safe times of passage are clearly marked to let drivers know when they can cross. Apparently this driver didn't get the memo however. It's too bad he wasn't riding in a Tesla Model S, which is surprising good at wading through water, as one man found.

Related Video:

Share This Photo X