• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Man crushed to death in car wash while his vehicle was being cleaned

Home> News

Updated 20:58 17 Apr 2023 GMT+1Published 20:53 17 Apr 2023 GMT+1

Man crushed to death in car wash while his vehicle was being cleaned

Oil company Chevron has been charged with the man's death.

Ali Condon

Ali Condon

An elderly man was crushed to death while taking his car through an automatic car wash in Australia, a court has heard.

The 73-year-old had driven his car to a Chevron car wash in Melbourne in November 2019, then got out of the vehicle to re-enter an access code.

But before he could get back into the car, the wash cycle started and he was crushed.

Advert

An elderly man was crushed to death while taking his car through a car wash.
Pexels

The man was treated for his injuries but died in hospital three days later.

After the horrific incident, the oil company Chevron was slapped with four negligence charges in December 2021.

Now, Melbourne Magistrates' Court is hearing how the incident unfolded.

Witness Pietrina Di Noto, who was next in line at the car wash that day, spoke about the tragedy in court this week.

Advert

Ms Di Noto told the court that the elderly man had asked her 'roughly' if she could move her car so that he could enter the access code.

When he saw the machine start up, he 'started to run' and tried to get back into the front seat of his car, but the door had gotten stuck in the car wash's gantry.

An ongoing court case in Melbourne will determine whether or not oil company Chevron was guilty of negligence.
Pexels

"I thought, 'Oh no, please get into the back seat'," she recalled.

The witness noted that the man had managed to open the front door just enough to get one foot inside, but he was knocked down by the car wash right after.

Advert

She told the court that it was 'clear' to her that 'it would have been better if he'd just walked out', and that it was 'obviously dangerous to get in the front'.

Meanwhile, WorkSafe Victoria allege in court documents that Chevron had failed to take reasonably practicable steps to eliminate risks, such as installing signage telling drivers not to exit their vehicle while the car wash is in operation, or fitting anti-collision bars or systems that would detect obstacles.

The insurance company also claimed that the gantry legs of the Melbourne car wash had been fitted with metal brackets, which would make for less space for cars - and people - in the wash bay, and it would have been reasonably practicable for these brackets to have been removed to reduce risk.

Chevron was given four negligence charges after the incident.
Unsplash

And WorkSafe alleges the car wash's operating system had 'failed', which shouldn't have allowed for customers to drive into the wash bay and exit their car to enter the access code on foot.

Advert

Court documents also see WorkSafe claim that it 'was reasonably practicable for Chevron to eliminate or reduce the risk by installing boom gates which would grant access to the wash bay only after a valid access code was entered'.

The court hearing continues.

LADbible have contacted Chevron for comment.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Klaus Ohlenschlaeger/Brian Jackson

Topics: News, Australia

Ali Condon
Ali Condon

Ali is a journalist for LADbible Group, writing on all things film, music, and entertainment across Tyla, LADbible and UNILAD. You can contact Ali at [email protected].

X

@alicondon

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

7 hours ago
8 hours ago
  • 7 hours ago

    Terrifying GoPro footage shows moment great white shark 'nearly eats' diver

    It just swam into view while he was diving

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Scientists have absolutely no idea what 'impossible' radio signals coming from deep inside Antarctica are

    "We still don't actually have an explanation for what those anomalies are"

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Conspiracy theory sparked after China posts video of astronauts in space

    One small glass for man, one giant conspiracy theory for mankind

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Scientists left stunned after discovering man was living normal life with 90% of his brain missing

    I'm often accused of not having a brain, but this is next level

    News
  • What happened to drunk Aussie man who went viral after getting caught 'just waiting for a mate' in his car
  • Man who had body frozen in ice following his death by grandson and was kept there for 30 years is finally being moved
  • Cyclist tragically crushed to death by huge speaker just yards from finish line during race
  • Girlfriend of man who tragically drowned while proposing to her posted heartbreaking response after his death