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Moment 77-year-old driver speeds into Pennsylvania car wash, flips car and remains trapped inside wrecked vehicle for 90 minutes
- The unidentified victim had her leg trapped between the car and its door.
- Authorities say he accidentally stepped on the accelerator entering the car wash.
- He was taken to a local hospital in serious but stable condition.
- The car wash was forced to close for two days before reopening on Thursday.
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A 77-year-old man had to be saved after spending 90 minutes trapped inside a wrecked vehicle at a Pennsylvania car wash after his car rolled over in a crash.
The man, who has not been identified, was at a Wave Car Wash in Colmar, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles north of Philadelphia, Tuesday afternoon.
He is seen in a video paying for a car wash, but when he gets inside, he accidentally puts his foot on the accelerator.
The vehicle then struck a piece of cleaning equipment and flipped over on its left side.
A 77-year-old man had to be saved after spending 90 minutes trapped inside a wrecked vehicle at a Pennsylvania car wash in a crash that flipped the car over.
Firefighters were called to the car wash around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday to rescue the man, who was trapped inside.
Emergency crews discovered that the 77-year-old driver had his leg pinned between the car and the driver’s side door.
Fire Chief Mikele Waldron said his leg was likely out of the car and the door was open when he stepped on the accelerator.
It took crews around 90 minutes to extract the man using airbags, blocks and jacks to slowly pull the car out of the wash.
The victim was escorted to a local hospital for leg injuries, but ABC6 reported that he is expected to survive. Authorities described his condition as serious but stable.
Wave Car Wash was forced to temporarily close following Tuesday’s accident, saying in a statement on Facebook that “multiple pieces of equipment” had been destroyed in the crash.
They weren’t able to reopen until Thursday, when they wrote: “Big thanks to the Wave team and car wash family for helping us get back open so quickly.”
The man, who has not been identified, was at a Wave Car Wash in Colmar, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles north of Philadelphia, Tuesday afternoon.
He is seen on a video paying for his wash, but then as he walks in he accidentally puts his foot on the accelerator.
The vehicle then crashed into a piece of cleaning equipment and flipped over completely.
Firefighters were called to the car wash around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday to rescue the man, who was trapped inside.
Emergency crews discovered that the 77-year-old driver had his leg pinned between the car and the driver’s side door.
Fire Chief Mikele Waldron said his leg was likely out of the car and the door was open when he stepped on the accelerator.
Owner Darin Kapanjie said in a statement: “We are relieved that no one was seriously injured. This was a severe accident that is extremely unfortunate for our customers and our team.”
He added: ‘Owning a small business is not easy, accidents like this don’t make it any easier. But hey, we have an incredible customer base that is as committed to us as we are to them. We also have amazing staff, a great support team and great connections in this amazing industry.’
Kapanjie also said that ‘we will get through this together and we will finish on top.’
Bill Ashmead, who was standing behind the victim in line at the car wash and waiting to send his vehicle, was stunned.
“I can’t even imagine the process of flipping a car inside a car wash,” he said. I don’t think it’s ever happened before.
The car wash was unable to reopen until Thursday, when they wrote in a Facebook post: “Big thanks to the Wave team and car wash family for helping us reopen so quickly.”
Owner Darin Kapanjie said in a statement: “We are relieved that no one was seriously injured. This was a severe accident which is extremely unfortunate for our clients and our team.