— A Jaguar soft-close door lawsuit alleges an automatic door severed the top of a man's thumb because Jaguar didn't warn him the automatic doors are dangerous.
A soft-close door uses technology that detects when a door is being closed. Once the latch catches the handle, an electric motor is activated to automatically pull the door tightly closed.
Plaintiff Ted Levy purchased a 2016 Jaguar XJRL equipped with soft-close doors in April 2017. In August 2018, Levy was driving, his wife was in the passenger seat and a friend was in the back.
Levy parked the car and as he exited the vehicle the soft-close automatic door closed on his right thumb. In pain, the plaintiff says he pulled the door handle as hard as he could but the door wouldn't open.
"The soft close automatic mechanism and motor pulled the driver’s door firmly, and not 'so softly' pulverized the bone structure, and crushed the flesh, nerves, blood vessels, tendons, and musculature of the distal portion of TED’s right thumb. Plaintiff observed in horror as the door severed the upper portion of his formerly fully functional right thumb." - Jaguar lawsuit
A hand surgeon was unable to reattach the tip of the thumb, and the plaintiff says he now has trouble getting dressed, tying his shoes, preparing food, driving, writing, sleeping and eating.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff's wife is ill and because of the damage to the plaintiff's thumb, he will likely have to hire an assistant to help him take care of his wife.
The plaintiff says the doors need sensors that would prevent them from closing on objects and body parts.
The lawsuit alleges Jaguar has known for years the soft-close technology is dangerous and defective, and the plaintiff says Jaguar was deceptive because the automaker should have told him of "the need for a heightened level of care" when using the soft-close automatic doors.
The plaintiff alleges Jaguar sweeps the details of this "serious problem under the rug" and intentionally conceals the dangers.
According to the lawsuit, the soft-close automatic door technology allegedly is "a modern-day guillotine," and much like a "wide-spreading epidemic showing no mercy" once the electric motor is activated.
The Jaguar soft-close door lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey - Levy v. Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC.
The plaintiff is represented by the A. Cohen Law Firm.
