MoreCHARLESTON, WV — A woman here is suing a carwash for chemical burns and injuries after purchasing an air freshener service for her car, The Record reported.
The May 27 story said the plaintiff is suing for compensatory and punitive damages after she took her car to the Mountaineer Pride Car Wash in late April. There, she was encouraged by an employee to have air freshener sprayed inside the vehicle, and she agreed to purchase the service.
The plaintiff noticed a strong chemical odor in her car after the wash but thought it would soon dissipate. She drove home with her windows down in an attempt to air out the vehicle, but by the time she arrived home she could barely breathe and had difficulty walking, the story said.
After the drive home, the plaintiff claims she began vomiting violently and experienced disorientation and confusion. She was taken to the emergency room and was diagnosed with a chemical burn to her mouth, throat and lungs, according to the story.
The plaintiff said she did not enter the car again until over two weeks later, and she still had to get out of the vehicle after just a few minutes when she once again had difficulty breathing, felt faint and became ill. That day she was diagnosed as having respiratory irritation from exposure to chemical fumes, the story said.
She is claiming in the suit that the carwash sprayed chemical into the car instead of air freshener, and she finally had to rent a car to use while her car was repaired, according to the story.
