Man Crushed to Death Inside Car Wash in California

On Friday night, Escondido Police Department responded to reports of an unresponsive man inside the Pearl Wash self-service car wash on East Valley Parkway.

Officers found the 56-year-old victim trapped between a 2014 Scion XB and a part of the car wash machinery.

"The preliminary investigation indicated that the man drove into the car wash and for an unknown reason, tried to exit his vehicle," police said in a statement.

"The vehicle then rolled forward, pinning the man between the car and the machinery."

Investigators said it did not appear that the car wash had been activated at the time of the accident.

Officers managed to lift the car and free the victim before attempting CPR; he was rushed to Palomar Medical Center, but pronounced dead there.

The 24-hour business has no on-site staff, and has both automated and self-service stations; The automated side — where the victim was found — does not use conveyor belts, but rather prompts the driver to move their car themselves when instructed.

Because the driver is in control of the car, the incident is being investigated as a traffic accident, rather than an industrial accident.

Police believe the victim had been the only person in the car at the time, and the machinery was not moving, so whatever caused the car to move remains a mystery.

The impact caused an alarm at the car wash to go off; it was beeping for half an hour before another customer investigated and found the victim, before calling police.

The victim's name has not yet been released.