A trip through an Illinois car wash has left one customer fighting over far more than a clean Lexus. She says a crash inside the wash caused about $4,000 in damage. Now she disputes the claim that her foot on the brake caused the trouble.
Bria Brooks shared her account in a November 2 report by FOX 32 Chicago. The crash happened January 16, 2026, at Gas & Wash in Tinley Park. She had used the wash on West 183rd Street dozens of times.
Brooks says a manager promised the business had insurance to cover the damage. Instead, she says she was left paying a $250 deductible and facing higher insurance costs.
Brooks blames the wash equipment. But the records FOX 32 reviewed did not show what caused the crash. A machine fault and a driver’s actions remain in dispute.
Inside the Wash
As Brooks tells it, her Lexus was moving through the wash when it suddenly stopped. At first, she thought someone had stopped the equipment, but then she heard grinding beneath the car.
About four minutes passed before the pickup driver behind her knocked on her window. Brooks says he told her he had hit her car and blamed a machine malfunction.
“I was so scared. I didn’t know what was happening,” she told FOX 32. “I thought I might have died in there.”
The station also reviewed the wash’s incident report, which listed scratches and dents. Her account in that report described a loud noise and a Lexus that rocked without moving.
Brooks also needed a rental car. Despite the manager’s promise, she says the business would not give her its insurer’s name.
A Disputed Explanation
Brooks says someone who reviewed the crash told her she had pressed the brakes three times. She disputes that account and says she asked to see the video.
A yellow sign at the entrance tells drivers not to use their brakes. It also tells them to turn off the automatic parking brake. Brooks says it was added after her crash, though FOX 32 could not verify when it went up.
FOX 32 had not seen the crash footage or the full arbitration ruling. The station asked the company for comment and the video. It had received no reply when the story ran.
The Claim Takes a Turn
Allstate’s claim page placed no blame on Brooks and all the blame on the Ford F-150 driver, FOX 32 reported. That finding named the other driver, not the car wash.
Allstate later lost a bid to get back the money it paid and Brooks’ deductible. A June 30 letter said an arbitration panel ruled against it. Allstate was also asked to pay part of the other party’s damages, but the letter gave no reason for the ruling or a new fault split.
The letters did not show whether the person Brooks described took part in that panel. In a July 1 letter, Allstate said it had ended its efforts to get the money back.