A disturbing incident was reported where a man dies after getting stuck between his vehicle and the machinery at the East Valley Parkway self-service automatic car wash. Police have reported that after the man had vacated his vehicle, it started to roll forward, causing him to become trapped between the car and the car wash machinery. An investigation is underway to understand why the man exited his car while the car wash process was underway.
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A bizarre incident was reported where a 56-year-old California man tragically died after exiting a vehicle during a car wash.
According to NBC 7 San Diego, police have called for witnesses after the man became stuck between his vehicle and the machinery at the East Valley Parkway self-service automatic car wash.
The disturbing incident was reported on Friday (April 15), with Sergeant Chris Leso of the Escondido Police Department saying in a statement on Saturday that a preliminary investigation is now underway.
Officers are currently investigating the reason behind the man exiting his 2014 Scion xB hatchback.
Sgt. Leso shared that after the man exited his car, it started to move forward causing him to get stuck between the car and the washing machinery.
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A passerby got alerted to the situation after hearing the alarm. The man was found unresponsive and police were immediately called.
According to Daily Mail the authorities believed that the alarm could have had been going for at least half an hour before the man was eventually found.
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When officers reported to the scene, they were able to free the man from the vehicle, and despite their best efforts, they were unable to revive the victim.
The man was declared dead after being transported to Palomar Medical Center.
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According to NBC 7 San Diego,it is believed that the car wash was not active at the time of the man's passing away and the Escondido Police Department's Traffic Division is now investigating the death and reviewing footage to try and determine why the man exited his car.
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Police told Fox 5 News that the self-service car wash allows drivers to pull into a wash corridor, where jets and large brushes clean the customer's vehicle.
However, unlike other types of automatic car washes which utilizes an automatic track, this particular car wash requires the drivers to continue driving forward.
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The victim's death is now investigated as a traffic collision rather than an industrial accident.
Police are asking any witnesses to the tragedy to call Officer Pete McCollough at 760-839-4930.