So this happened...

[AndyAnderson]

I am a customer. I meant no harm.

So I took my truck to a local car wash, conveyer belt type that pushes your car through the automatic wash process. Loaded in the bed of the truck were four truck tires. Long story short, one of the tires blew out of the bed of my truck in the car wash. Apparently, this caused a three car pile up behind me. With damages. I had no idea and drove off.

Think I am liable? I never meant any damage. I drove down the highway at 65mph...those truck tires are heavy. I never thought one would come out.

Should the person up front check for this kind of thing?

Thanks. Hope you have a good laugh over it.

Long story - three years ago, a friend contacted me and said his wife "just didn't like the tires" on her truck. He said they had less than 5k miles on them. He would sell them to me for $100. I told him the truck was brand new, and I just didn't need the tires. He said "You will, and when you do, you will be glad to have these". So I bought them. They sat in my garage for 3 years. Then I moved, so the tires went to a storage shed, and then to the new house.

The day before my tire appt, I loaded the tires into the truck so I wouldn't forget them. I ended up driving into town twice with them in the back of my truck. The wife drove into town once.

I was about ready to get ready to work, when I only noticed three tires in the truck. My wife is the kind of person that always has one foot on a pedal....either gas or brake. I was so mad at her thinking she somehow lost the tire.

I got to thinking about it, figured I would call the car wash just in case. I was pretty sure I was wasting my time, but I called and said "This may sound like a dumb question, but I ran my truck through your car wash yesterday and I had four tires in the back of my truck. Now I only have three" She replied "Yes, I know exactly what happened as i worked yesterday. Your tire came off and caused a three car pile up in our tire. So yeah, we got your tire.' II replied "OK, I'll be down to get it - thanks - bye."

My friend went by and asked for the tire. He explained that I live far away, and he was picking it up for me. They wouldn't give him the tire.

I purchased four new tires for wife's truck - $1,000. Yippie!

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Of course you are liable. I see no difference than if it had flown out while you were driving down the road and damaged cars. Of course you meant no harm, no one does when they have an accident. Have your insurance company contact the car wash and get those vehicles fixed.

 

[MEP001]

Does the car wash have signage instructing that your truck bed be empty or have any loose items secured? What about your state laws about secured load on the road?

That $1,000 you paid for the tire is most likely nothing compared to the cost it caused the car wash. Of course they wouldn't give your friend the tire, it was the only leverage they had to get you to come back.

 

[CheetahExpress]

We have an enormous sign plastered across the entrance to our wash bay in bright yellow with black lettering that says PICK-UP BEDS MUST BE EMPTY. Customers still ignore it and don't realize the damage that can happen when they go through the wash with items -- big or small -- in the truck beds. The type of stuff we find in our wash bay is appalling.

 

[madstack]

If the tires were in a stack of 4, up against the side of the bed or the tailgate with the top tire above the top of the bed, maybe the top tire could fall out of the bed. At our wash, we retract the top brush for pickup bed so we'd have to fail that and I don't think the mitter could grip the tire enough even in a stack. Other than that, I can't think of a scenario where a tire could come out of the bed. That being said, even if you have signs, any situation that you allow to occur at your wash has your tacit approval and makes you liable. That's why we inspect every vehicle before it goes in. Garbage, tools, leaves, sand, floor mats, bungees, empty buckets, milk crates, etc. can all get blown out and we won't wash them until they're empty.