California man killed during freak accident at a car wash

A California man was killed in an apparent freak accident at a car wash when he got trapped between his vehicle and the machinery, police said.

The unidentified 56-year-old drove his Scion xB hatchback into the automatic Pearl Car Wash on East Valley Parkway in Escondido at about 11:45 p.m. Friday, Fox 5 San Diego reported.

For some reason, he got out and became pinned between the car and the machinery after the vehicle rolled forward, police Sgt. Chris Leso told NBC 7.

It did not appear the machine had been activated at the time of the incident, according to the outlet. The man was alone at the time.

An alarm sounded from the car wash for as long as 30 minutes but the victim was not discovered until another customer arrived and called 911.

Police freed the man and administered CPR before he was taken to Palomar Medical Center, where he died a short time later, the Fox outlet reported.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage to determine exactly what happened at the self-service business, where drivers drive forward and stop when prompted by lights and signs.

The incident was deemed a “traffic collision,” not an industrial accident, because the driver had control of his car the entire time — as opposed to car washes where vehicles move along a conveyor belt.