Imagine you’re driving home for the holidays and stop to gas up. You swipe your card, fill your tank, and drive off. But within minutes, your car sputters, stalls, and won’t start again. The engine rattles, and pressing the gas pedal does nothing.

This nightmare became a real-life disaster for Maeve McQuade. She filled up her SUV at a Speedway station in South Boston, paying for premium gasoline. Instead, the station’s tanks had been cross-contaminated with diesel.

“It was really busy when I was there,” McQuade said, recalling her stop on December 21. She pumped three-quarters of a tank and went about her day—until the next morning, when her car wouldn’t run.

“My whole engine, when I turned it on, was rattling,” McQuade said. “And then when I actually went to drive, and I pressed down on the gas pedal, nothing happened. I just completely stalled.”

McQuade had her car towed to a dealer, where mechanics found diesel in the fuel system. They told her repairs would cost thousands. Then McQuade spotted a Facebook post from another driver who filled up at the same station—and who had the exact same issue.

Who pays when a gas station mixes up fuel and damages your car?

McQuade’s damage wasn’t small. Another affected driver reported spending $1,400 just to flush the diesel and replace spark plugs and filters. Worse, their catalytic converter was destroyed, adding another $2,000 in repairs. If the engine itself is damaged? Replacing it could easily cost $10,000.

McQuade quickly called the station. “Over the phone, they admitted there was a contamination, yes,” she said. She expects Speedway, owned by 7-Eleven, to pay for the repairs. Speedway has already shut down the station and drained its tanks. The company even released a statement directing affected drivers to call its hotline and file claims.

Even with 7-Eleven footing the bill, McQuade knows this could have been avoided. “It seems like a silly mistake and a careless mistake to have been made,” she said. The mix-up likely happened when a fuel delivery driver poured diesel into the wrong underground tank. If 7-Eleven’s insurance won’t cover repairs, drivers may have to go after the fuel delivery company.

For now, McQuade waits for answers—and hopes she’s not left paying for a mistake she didn’t make.