Deer crashes through Winston-Salem laundromat front window

A buck crashed through the front window of the Wishy Washy Laundry on South Main Street in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after first colliding with a woman in the parking lot. The deer caused chaos inside the business, jumping onto laundry machines and sending customers scrambling for safety before escaping through the same broken glass it entered.

It was an unexpected event that caused a scene for the staff and customers at the South Main Street laundromat on Tuesday.

A “one in a million” intrusion

Security footage captured the sequence of events with startling clarity. The deer first ran through the parking lot, where it struck a woman who had just exited the business. Without pausing, the animal smashed through the front window and entered the facility. Once inside, the buck struggled with laundry carts before attempting to climb atop the washing machines.

Deer runs through Winston-Salem Laundromat

Corey Pendergrass, the owner of The Wishy Washy Laundry, expressed total disbelief when reviewing the footage. Like a deer coming through the business, what in the world? Pendergrass told WXII in Greensboro. Who has to deal with this?

The sheer improbability of the event wasn’t lost on Pendergrass, who described the incident as a one in a million chance and noted that he never expected such a thing to happen in his place of business.

Deer goes buck wild inside and outside Winston-Salem laundromat

Deer leaves laundromat without causing injuries

Despite the buck striking one of the washing machines with its antlers, the equipment remained undamaged.

Karen Barragan, an attendant at the laundromat, confirmed that the deer eventually found its way back out through the shattered window. While the chaos was significant, Barragan stated that she checked on everyone inside the building and confirmed that no one was injured during the animal’s brief tenure in the shop.

deer at wishy washy laundry — Photo: wxii12.com

“It was nonsense, and it was just a miracle that no one got hurt,” Pendergrass said. “So we’re very thankful for that.”

The mystery of the parking lot collision

While the interior of the laundromat was quickly accounted for, a lingering question remains regarding the woman struck in the parking lot. According to Barragan, they called 911 to report the incident, but the woman had already driven away before authorities arrived on the scene.

The business has been unable to establish contact with the woman to verify her condition, and staff members noted they are hoping she is okay. This detail adds a layer of uncertainty to an otherwise resolved situation; while the glass was replaced and the deer departed, the status of the first victim remains unknown.

Oh deer! Deer wreaks havoc on Winston-Salem laundromat

Local company repairs broken window

The physical damage to the business was limited to a single point of entry. Pendergrass noted that a local company, Pfaf’s Glass, was able to repair the broken window just a couple of hours after the crash occurred.

Pendergrass remained grateful that the damage was contained, stating, I only had to fix one window thankfully.