A New York man who injured his thumb in the soft-close door of his 2013 BMW X5 has won a significant legal victory. The jury ordered BMW to pay nearly 2 million dollars, dismissing the automaker’s defense that people should naturally avoid placing their fingers in closing doors.
The accident occurred when the plaintiff rested his hand on the driver’s door pillar while the soft-close mechanism, designed to shut doors gently, pulled the door closed on his thumb. Although BMW argued that the injury was the result of user error, the court found the company liable under New York’s consumer protection laws for failing to warn about the potential dangers of the feature.
The verdict includes $800,000 for past pain and suffering, $850,000 for projected future pain, and over $250,000 for lost earnings. BMW’s attempt to appeal was denied, with the court citing deceptive omission related to the risks.
Soft-close doors, once exclusive to luxury models, have become common but demand clear warnings to protect consumers and limit manufacturer liability.
BMW has faced similar lawsuits in the past over this technology, but this latest ruling put the spotlight on ambulance chaser lawsuits the growing scrutiny of automated features.
