LONG- ISLAND, NY- Nydailynewss.com reports that 40-year-old Alexis Fields is suing BMW for $10 million after the automatic closing feature on her 2012 BMW 750Li closed on her thumb crushing the bones.
Fields was taking her children to a Halloween party in 2016 when she stopped to grab her purse from her vehicle. At that time, the vehicle’s “soft close feature was apparently triggered by a gust of wind. The door closed down on her thumb causing her excruciating pain. When she got home her husband sent her to seek medical attention.
According to Field’s orthopedist, the injury was the worst of its kind that he had ever seen in his career. Fields says her thumb is now shorter and that it hurts contently. The injury has made all sorts of simple daily activities a challenge, including fastening a button or holding a pen. She had to give up bowling, which she used to do for fun.
Following the accident, Fields got rid of the car. She now drives an Escalade, which she claims is safer than the BMW, and that does not have any closing mechanism like the one that mangled her thumb.
Field’s is seeking damages for several things including breach of warranty and pain and suffering. She also expresses her hope that BMW will make changes to the feature that caused her injury so that no one else will suffer the same type of injury.
Fields is not the only person to have suffered an injury as a result of the “soft close” feature, and at least one other person reportedly sustained a severed thumb. BMW will not comment on the case because there is litigation pending. In past lawsuits, the company has denied that their technology poses any risks.
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