One of the three photos posted on Craigslist earlier this month in a post claiming the damaged vehicle is for sale.

 Craigslist

A car that crashed into a cactus in Tucson, leaving the saguaro sticking out of the windshield and garnering widespread attention online, has been listed for sale on Craigslist.

But the man behind the crash, driver Kai Scott, said he’s not the one responsible.

The listing posted on July 18 describes a “2010 Saguaro” in “fair” condition and includes photos of the Saguaro in the windshield.

“This puppy still runs and I’m willing to drive wherever in the USA,” the listing on the classified advertising website reads in part.

“Make an offer to buy ‘as is’ for social media purposes, or if you would like we could plant the whole darn thing in your yard as some kind of freaky cactus/car sculpture that could be living and growin(g) for generations,” it said.

The crash happened about 9:30 a.m. on July 10 near North First Avenue and East Orange Grove Road, Pima County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Daniel Jelineo said earlier this month. According to Jelineo, a black sports car was heading south on First Avenue, approaching Agave Place, when it crossed over the median and struck the saguaro cactus.

Part of the saguaro ended up through the passenger side of the windshield, Jelineo said.

The driver was the only one in the vehicle and had minor injuries. He was detained for further investigation after deputies observed signs and symptoms associated with impairment, Jelineo said.

Scott, 39, was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and criminal damage.

But Scott said he’s not the one responsible for the car’s listing. He said Roy Wade, who towed the vehicle from the scene to a Tucson body shop, asked Scott if he would be OK with him listing the car on Craigslist.

Listed for sale

Scott said he initially thought Wade was joking, but then he saw that Wade had actually listed the car. He said he and his lawyer asked Wade to take it down, worrying the listing could negatively impact the ongoing investigation.

Scott said he fears that the lighthearted nature of the listing, which references a crash for which he’s facing charges, won’t look good to a judge, especially because the listing makes it appear that Scott posted it himself.

“I’m not trying to make light of it — in fact, my life is in hell right now,” Scott said. “I’m facing charges, and I could go to jail and lose my license, and I could have a criminal record. I’m not laughing about it at all.”

In an interview with The Arizona Republic, Wade said he didn’t mean harm by listing the car and thought most people would pick up on the nonserious nature of the post.

“It seemed like a pretty abnormal situation with the cactus in the car, and I just thought we’d get some humor out of the situation,” Wade said.

Wade said he was actually trying to help Scott by listing the car, thinking it would gain traction and someone might reach out to Scott to offer financial support as he racked up legal fees.

Although Wade made the listing, he put Scott’s phone number on it. Scott said he’s since gotten about 15 inquiries about the car.

Some people said they wanted the car for parts, while a person from Hawaii lamented the lack of saguaros in the state and said they wanted to plant the cactus from the car there.

Scott said he’s not sure whether the inquirers are serious or not, but said police told him the car cannot be moved or sold as the investigation continues.

A wake-up call

Despite the viral photo of his cactus-damaged car, Scott said the incident was incredibly serious and could have had dire consequences.

“In some ways, it’s a bit of a wake-up call,” he said. “I very easily could have died. The cactus is one thing, but I crossed the median in traffic and drove into the desert. I could’ve hurt other people, but luckily that didn’t happen.”

Scott said at the end of the day, though, his car is the least of his worries as he waits to see whether he’ll face hefty fines or jail time.

He hopes the public will give him a chance to use the incident to turn his life around.

“Hopefully people can reserve judgment until the case gets resolved,” he said. “Hopefully people can just understand that people make mistakes sometimes. I didn’t hurt anyone, so I’m just trying to focus on the positive.”

Tucson's quirkiest saguaros: 

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