by An Unexpected Adventure at the Car Wash
Automatic car washes can be a source of stress in themselves, but for one North Carolina farmer, a routine visit turned into a real nightmare. The story serves as an important reminder: if you’re driving a pickup truck through a car wash, make sure the bed is completely empty.
A Forgotten Item That Led to Destruction
A farmer named Kyle Corbett drove his Ford F-Series pickup into a car wash, completely forgetting that a spool of strong fence wire was lying in the bed. While his Ford passed through part of the process without issue, the rotating wash brushes caught the wire and began to unwind it.
This was bad news for the Ford Fusion that had entered the car wash right behind the pickup. The brushes, now wrapped in steel wire, struck it. A video published on TikTok does not show the full extent of the damage to the Fusion, but the paint on the front of the car was likely destroyed.
An Eyewitness Account
Kyle Corbett recounted that he had bought the fence wire for his cattle the day before and decided to run some errands in town the next day. He decided to “quickly” stop by the car wash and didn’t think about the wire at all.
Lesson today is don’t go in the car wash with high tensile wire in the bed of your truck.
He added that the car wash employees inspected his vehicle, but when he drove inside, all hell broke loose. Within seconds, the wire wrapped around the mechanism and brutally struck the car behind him. The sound resembled a war zone.
Consequences and Liability
The question of who is responsible for the incident remains open. Many believe the pickup driver’s insurance company should compensate both the car wash owner and the owner of the white Fusion. Comments online include remarks like the $15 quick wash ended up costing $150,000.
Others point out that partial responsibility lies with the car wash staff, who should have checked the contents of the pickup bed before starting the wash. Regardless, it’s hard not to sympathize with the car owner who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Incidents like this are a reminder that even routine actions require attention. Forgotten items in a truck bed can lead not only to significant material damage but also create danger for others. This story also raises questions about safety standards at automated car washes, especially regarding servicing trucks and pickups, where a cursory glance may be insufficient.
