'I'm Just a Girl…In the Hospital:' Woman Checks Radiator Fluid. Then There's an Explosion

Car maintenance can be intimidating, especially if you weren't taught the basics growing up. 

But sometimes not knowing what you don't know can lead to dangerous situations, like opening a radiator cap on a hot engine.

One woman learned this lesson the hard way. The viral video capturing the moment in question serves as a cautionary tale about the very real dangers of DIY car care without proper knowledge.

Woman's Radiator Cap Removal Goes Wrong

In a wildly viral video with more than 66.3 million views, Georgia Lear (@ig..ig17) documents the moment an unidentified woman attempted to check her radiator fluid.

The video, set to No Doubt's "Just a Girl," shows the woman apprehensively approaching a car sitting with its hood open. She flinches as she twists the radiator cap, likely because the cap is hot to the touch.

When she finally turns it all the way, the cap explodes. Fluid blasts upward and outward in a violent eruption.

The scalding fluid doesn't just shoot straight up, it hits the camera person, who appears to run away from the scene.

Lear’s onscreen caption reads: "We're just girls."

In her caption, Lear writes, "There's been an update: That was boiling water bro…"

How Do You Safely Check Radiator Fluid?

Lear's dangerous experience highlights exactly what not to do when checking radiator fluid. Safely checking your coolant requires following specific steps, and most importantly, waiting for your engine to cool down, Jiffy Lube explains.

The most critical mistake made in Lear’s video was opening the radiator cap on a hot engine. Jiffy Lube emphasizes that you must wait for your engine to completely cool down (at least 30 minutes) before checking radiator fluid, since your radiator and fluid can get extremely hot. 

When the engine is hot, the cooling system is under pressure, and opening the cap can cause boiling fluid to violently spray out, exactly as shown in Lear's post.

Here's how to safely check radiator fluid, according to Jiffy Lube:

First, wear appropriate personal protective equipment like gloves and safety glasses, as radiator fluid can cause mild to severe irritation or burns if left on skin. Park your vehicle on level ground and wait at least 30 minutes for the engine to completely cool.

Once cool, locate the radiator reservoir, typically a white plastic tank near the radiator. Check if the fluid level is between the high and low markers on the side of the reservoir. You can also open the radiator cap to inspect the fluid itself, but only after the engine has cooled. The fluid should be bright colored (red, yellow, green, or blue). If it's dark, murky, or full of debris, you may need a radiator fluid exchange.

If the level is low, top it off using a funnel to pour fluid slowly into the radiator or reservoir until it reaches the low indicator. After inspecting or topping off the fluid, close the radiator cap securely to prevent leaks.

Jiffy Lube also warns that radiator fluid is toxic when ingested, so clean up any spills immediately and keep children and pets away from the area.

Radiator Explosion Rocks the Web

Nearly 50,000 comments poured in on Lear’s post. Many replies fell into two categories: is the woman okay or is the car okay? One person said this dichotomy proves there are “two different types of people.”

Some commenters predicted that she could have sustained second- or even third-degree burns.

“Could be both! The hospital told my brother he had 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his face and chest from doing exactly this!” a user named Chas said.

“I’m just a girl…in the hospital,” another wrote.

Lear hasn’t said whether the woman in the post was injured and if so, to what extent. When someone asked for an update on the radiator TikTok on a subsequent, unrelated post, she replied, “Fixed it,” apparently referring to the car.

Many who commented made jokes or commiserated about their own lack of automotive knowledge.

“I'm a man and I had no idea this would happen,” one admitted.

“I’m just a girl.... who got her chemical peel for free,” quipped another.

Motor1 reached out to Lear for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ll update this if she responds.