Florida Car Wash Injury & Damage Claims

Automated Car Wash Equipment Malfunctions and Liability

Drive-through automated car washes utilize heavy spinning brushes, high-pressure water archways, and conveyor tracks. Equipment calibration failures, runaway conveyor belts, or sudden brush arm snaps can crush vehicle cabins, shatter windshields, and inflict severe injuries on vehicle occupants.

Premises and Equipment Liability

Car wash operators owe a duty to inspect and calibrate automated machinery regularly:

• Conveyor Belt Misalignment: Failing to stop conveyor rollers when a vehicle jumps the track, leading to multi-car pileups inside the tunnel.
• Over-Pressurized Equipment: Water or chemical archways spraying at unsafe PSI levels, shattering glass or sunroofs.
• Sensor Failures: Automated anti-collision sensors failing to detect stopped vehicles inside the wash bay.

Preserving Evidence After a Wash Accident

It is essential to notify management before leaving the premises, request that surveillance video inside the wash tunnel be preserved, and document mechanical damage and physical injuries immediately.

Under Fla. Stat. § 95.11, the statute of limitations for personal injury in Florida is two years.