A pick-up truck has caused considerable damage at a car wash near München. His van was too high for the facility. But that didn’t stop the driver from entering the car wash, news site Merkur.de reports. The accident happened last autumn. The man is now convicted and loses his driver’s license.

The driver, a German self-employed man, will have to do without his driver’s license for another three months. The 49-year-old man from Erding drove a van into a car wash in Vaterstetten in September last year. 

But his vehicle was way too high. The damage to the facility amounted to well over 40,000 euros. The unwanted customer drove on without taking care of the damage, according to the indictment.

Objection

The man appealed against a penalty order and was recently on trial in Ebersberg. His lawyer tried to prove that the man, who incidentally runs a haulage company together with his wife, had not noticed much about the incidents. However, he also conceded that “it was definitely stupid of him”.

On camera

The evidence was clear. The facility is monitored by several cameras. The films were shown during the trial at the request of the defense lawyer. Judge Benjamin Lenhart emphasized that he had already viewed the video beforehand. A sign with a height limit of 2.40 meters is clearly visible. The van was 20 centimeters higher.

According to an eye witness, parts of the roof of the vehicle were torn off. An expert estimated the net damage at 41,525 euros. During the crash, the defendant decided to give full gas instead of breaking, which worsened the damage considerably.

The convicted driver has lost his driver’s license and will get it back this fall. The name of the car wash was not disclosed by Merkur.