An Amazon delivery driver went viral when he posted a series of videos documenting how he got stuck in a cornfield.
TikTok creator 64 (@6400aks) filmed the series after his van became lodged in mud while making a delivery in a remote location. Based in San Antonio, Texas, 64 was tasked with delivering a package to a farm in Hondo——a small town located 40 minutes away. His problems began when he followed Amazon’s GPS down a dirt road.
His series was cumulatively viewed over 544,000 times, and struck a chord with users. Many agreed that Amazon places profit over employees.
@6400aks ♬ original sound – 64
64 begins his series with a short 15-second clip from his Amazon van.
“My nightmare finally came true. I’m stuck in a cornfield, bro,” he said as he showed users a dirt road. Heavy machinery had torn up the muddy roadway, creating a series of uneven ruts running through the cornfield.
The road is clearly not designed for everyday vehicles to pass through, but Amazon’s GPS had led him deep into the cornfield before he realized the risk, he said. By then it was too late and he had become mired in mud in the middle of nowhere.
In 64’s second video, filmed a few hours later, he explains how Amazon’s dispatch center refused to retrieve him: “I’m currently stranded out here in Hondo. I got stuck all the way down there into a cornfield where my GPS took me to.”
64 shows users his GPS and shares how it led him to the cornfield. “You see this entire road I thought would lead to my destination right there, but it only put me in f*cking mud… The van is undriveable. So I called my dispatcher to tell them I’m stuck. My dispatcher told me to call roadside assistance.”
Stranded on a road designed for tractors, the Amazon delivery driver walked to a nearby road to try to find help. With the sun sinking lower, he felt unsafe and wanted to return to the station: “Guys, if you live in Texas you know that it gets dark fast. It’s 8 o’clock. The sun is about to come down. There are no lights out here. I don’t feel safe.”
Deciding that being stranded on a country road in the pitch black was too dangerous he requested a pickup.
“So I call another dispatcher to come pick me up,” he said. But, unfortunately, his original dispatcher recalled the pickup and advised him to continue waiting in the van. Frustrated, 64 called his dispatcher to ask her why she had cancelled the pickup. She explained that if he left could be subject to termination.
“You know how Amazon always talks about how we care about our employees more than anything. You know safety’s first,” 64 said. “But when it comes to my safety they don’t care at all. My dispatcher is worried about a van more than my own safety.”
The Daily Dot reached out to 64 via TikTok comments and Amazon via email for further information.
In the third video, 64 sums up his predicament: “The situation I’m in here is I can survive out here, or I can go back to my station where I feel safe. But if I go back to my station I won’t have a job. The sun is going down. I’m still out here waiting for roadside assistance to come get me at 8:31.”
Luckily, the Amazon delivery driver was rescued by the couple who owned the farm. After waiting for five hours for help, he approached a woman while she was talking on her phone. Once she realized what happened she gave him some food and drink, while they waited for her husband to come. Using a chain and his truck, the husband was able to extricate the van, so 64 could return to San Antonio.
“Amazon definitely don’t care about the employees smh sorry this happened to you!” one said.
“Everything I’ve learned about working for Amazon: if you don’t follow THEIR rules down to every step you’re fired. It’s pretty much all on Amazon,” a third person greed.
“I feel your pain bro same has happened to me, winter time is the worst, I drive a step van and they give us county stops knowing we are too heavy,” another person said.
This isn’t the first time Amazon has been accused of placing profits over employee wellbeing. According a recent New York Times investigation, Amazon has systematically shortchanged employees on their paychecks, causing many to take drastic actions to make ends meet. The company has also come under fire for overworking employees and forcing them to work at an unreasonable pace, leading to safety concerns.
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Source: https://www.dailydot.com/news/amazon-driver-stuck-in-mud/
