‘She was special’: Family remembers car wash employee killed after equipment entrapment

WLOS, ERNESTINE FRANKS, CNN

By Kimberly King

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    WEAVERVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — A spokeswoman for Texas-based ZIPS Car Wash said the Weaverville location remains closed after the death of an employee over the weekend.

Police said 26-year-old Carolina Bree Franks was killed after becoming entrapped in equipment within the car wash located at 1 Gill Road on Saturday, Jan. 13. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Franks’ grandmother, Ernestine Franks, said she is in shock after the incident. She said Bree Franks had just come to visit her in Whitesburg, Kentucky.

“She spent the night with me the night before, well, Thursday night,” said Franks. “She was on her way back home Saturday, and we got the call Saturday evening. I could not believe it. I was in shock.”

Ernestine Franks said she spoke with Michael King, Bree’s boyfriend’s father, who, she said, spoke with authorities.

“This is what they told him – that she went to work. She was working at the car wash, cleaning, and she got tangled up in a piece of equipment,” Franks recounted. “And, when they found her, she was already dead.”

According to Weaverville police, North Carolina Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) was notified of the incident and is leading the investigation.

Franks said her granddaughter was a lovely woman she had raised since she was 6.

“She was special,” Franks said of the victim. “She loved everybody. She loved animals. She just is a nice young lady.”

ZIPS Car Wash is headquartered in Plano, Texas, and is the largest privately held car wash operator nationwide. A news release on Business Wire says the company expanded its North Carolina car wash operations in 2022. The company’s corporate website states Zips has more than 230 stores across the nation

Sarah Elizabeth, a spokeswoman for ZIPS Corporate, released the following statement on Monday:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with our team member’s family in this time of loss. This is such an unfortunate tragedy. We are working with local authorities and the North Carolina Department of Labor OSHA throughout the investigation, and our Weaverville site will remain closed at this time.”

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