Soft-close doors close automatically if not completely closed. This was fatal for an American: He lost his thumb and is now suing Mercedes.
Modern cars often have a gentle automatic closing system, so-called soft-close doors: If the car door does not close completely when closing and is still ajar, the automatic system recognizes this and closes the ajar door by itself. A small electric motor pulls the door closed Castle. This is convenient for many drivers.
But with all the advantages, there is also a very important disadvantage of this technique: there is a not inconsiderable risk of injury. Richard J. Kastigar from the US state of Arizona had his thumb severed by this mechanism on his Mercedes. The victim is now suing the automaker: Kastigar is demanding $500,000 (equivalent to around €440,000) as compensation for lost wages because it meant he was no longer able to pursue his job as a police officer.
Victim demands compensation from Mercedes
According to the complaint, the man got out of the car in October last year and when the door was ajar, his thumb was still between the door and the locking mechanism. The automation recognized that the door wasn’t completely closed – but it obviously didn’t recognize Kastigar’s fingers. He had the top half of his right thumb severed. Even in the hospital, the part of the finger could not be sewn back on.
Kastigar is now demanding compensation from Mercedes Benz. “A once proud and independent man who protected the populace now depends on his wife’s help to shower, use the toilet, brush his teeth, get dressed or button a shirt,” the Car Complaints portal quoted as saying. from the complaint. The automatic locking mechanism is referred to therein as a “modern guillotine”. Mercedes does not warn its customers sufficiently about the dangers.
Similar cases have also occurred in Germany. In 2018, the ARD business magazine “Plusminus” reported on a woman who also had part of her thumb severed by the soft-close mechanism of her BMW 5 Series. The driver sued the manufacturer. Newer models sometimes have a two-stage automatic closing mechanism. The mechanism pauses for about half a second after an initial closing movement so that endangered drivers can still pull their finger out of the door.
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Source: Stern
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