Two hospitalized after 'once in a lifetime' car wash disaster
Two people were hospitalized after a freak collision at a car wash turned into a harrowing escape captured on security footage.
The crash, which took place on Monday at Prestige Car Wash in Taunton, Mass., began when a white pickup truck backed into a self-service bay that was already occupied by another vehicle, WBZ-TV reports.
Video of the incident shows the white truck speeding through the car wash parking lot before crashing into — and ultimately rolling on top of — a much smaller, red sedan. There was a teenage girl trapped inside at the time.
The teenager, who has not been identified, was reportedly sitting in the front seat of her boyfriend's sedan when she saw the truck coming. She then jumped into the car's backseat as the truck rolled on top of her.
Thankfully, the teen did not receive any major injuries in the crash, however, she was pinned inside the car until firefighters arrived to rescue her.
"It was a once in a lifetime experience," Scott Dexter, a deputy fire chief with the Taunton Fire Department, told the Providence Journal. "I would never dream if it was me that someone would drive in while I was washing my car,” he said.
The truck's driver, who Dexter described as a man in his mid-to-late 60s, was reportedly unharmed. However, both he and the teenage victim were taken to a nearby hospital for examination. Despite the outcome, the crash's horrifying nature left some observers shaken.
"I almost started crying," Nicole Teles, who manages the car wash, told the Providence Journal. "I was so emotional. And I had trouble sleeping last night."
The teenager's boyfriend, who was standing outside of his vehicle when the crash occurred, was reportedly unharmed. Teles said she told both the teen and her boyfriend, "You guys both have angels with you."
Police told the Providence Journal that the crash appeared to be accidental — and was possibly caused by a floor mat getting stuck to the truck's pedal — adding that no charges have been filed as of Tuesday morning. The car wash remained open following the incident.
