Routine car wash takes a chilling turn when the doors close — and one woman realizes there’s no way out

A woman’s quick trip to an automated car wash turned into a scary situation when she got trapped inside. Carlee Crabtree shared the incident on TikTok, which happened on January 19. She and her mother had pulled into the wash bay, but a large bag of trash was blocking the path.

According to Motor1, Carlee’s mother kept filming and told her daughter to “hurry up” and move the bag. Carlee, wearing oversized loungewear, ran into the empty wash bay to move the trash bag out of the way. She quickly moved the bag and turned back toward the entrance door.

Her mother said her “poor baby” was afraid the system would spray her. Then the main door suddenly closed completely, locking Carlee inside alone with the heavy machinery and water jets. The situation was truly terrifying. Those giant rollers and spray arms are designed for vehicles, not people. Someone who claimed to have worked in the industry warned that people have died in car washes, showing how serious this was.

Being trapped in a car wash is more dangerous than most people realize

The machinery itself is the biggest danger. But there are other risks too. The chemicals used to clean cars can cause serious skin or eye irritation. High-voltage electricity mixed with water and heavy moving parts creates a very dangerous environment. Car maintenance can be stressful enough without dealing with frustrating mechanic delays.

Carlee explained in her TikTok what happened after the door closed. She started to panic because the door was completely shut. “All I could think about was if the waters turn on and they came at me, I was gonna get cut in half,” she said. “Like literally Final Destination cut in half.”

Luckily, she managed to escape. She wedged her left hand underneath the massive door. At first, she couldn’t lift it, but she kept pushing until the door finally moved back up. She got out soaking wet but completely safe.

The video quickly got over 8 million views online. People had mixed reactions to the incident. One commenter said, “You must request the surveillance video from the camera inside the car wash!” Another pointed out, “you do know the water doesn’t spray THAT hard, right?!” Someone else asked, “I want to know if you still got the car washed after?” 

One viewer found humor in the situation, saying, “The fact it was your mom idea make it hilarious 😭😭😭 you supposed to trust mothers 😂😂😂😂.” This is a serious reminder that sometimes it’s better to leave things behind instead of trying to beat the clock. When it comes to vehicle ownership, some mechanics argue that choosing reliable car brands matters more than anything else.