Man Sues BMW After X5’s Automatic Soft-Closing Door Cut Off His Thumb

For some people, buying a $70,000 BMW X5 can be a dream come true, unless that dream turns into a nightmare, spurred on by one of the car’s pricey options.

Godwin Boateng, a resident of Long Island, NY, ended up having to carry his severed thumb into the emergency room after his BMW X5’s SCAD sensor (Soft Closing Automatic Doors) activated the electric motor and shut the driver’s door on top of his thumb. After inspecting the finger, doctors concluded that it could not be reattached.

According to his Brooklyn federal suit, Boateng was out to meet a friend for dinner on July 6, 2016 and was standing outside his BMW SUV with his right hand rested on the driver’s door column, as reported by the NY Post.

https://youtu.be/exyb7tCsGqc

“With the front driver’s door approximately one-foot ajar, the SCAD [Soft Closing Automatic Doors] sensor activated the electric motor, which pulled the driver’s door firmly, and not ‘so softly’ snapped through the flesh, nerves, blood vessels, tendons, musculature and bone structure of Boateng’s right thumb,” claims the suit, which also accuses BMW of knowing SCAD had faulty sensors, yet didn’t do anything to warn customers.

The man also claims that even after two surgeries, his hand remains swollen and he sometimes needs to wear a fake finger due to pain.

“Sometimes it feels like someone is putting knives in there. It’s painful beyond believe,” he said, while also revealing that since he’s right-handed, he can struggle with performing basic tasks like fastening buttons on shirts, tying his shoes and typing.

Boateng, who at first was excited to have a feature such as SCAD on his car, is suing BMW for unspecified damages, while the German automaker’s legal council declined to comment on the matter.