A jury in New York has ordered the Volvo Car Corporation to pay $8.75 million to a man from Yonkers whose leg was crushed when he was struck by a Volvo wagon that was missing a clutch starter safety switch.

Volvo started installing the safety switches in their vehicles in 2000. The switch requires a fully depressed clutch before the vehicle can be started. The part is designed to prevent a driver from starting the vehicle in gear accidentally, causing the car to jump forward.

56 year-old Manuel Reis was picking up his 7 year-old daughter from a friends house when the other girl’s father was showing Reis the used 1987 Volvo 740 wagon he had recently purchased. The owner started the vehicle while Reis was looking under the hood. The vehicle shot forward and pinned Reis’s leg between the car and the house. Subsequently Reis required an above the knee amputation of his left leg.

A New York County Supreme Court jury found Volvo to be liable and awarded Reis $8.75 million for pain and suffering.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a Pennsylvania car accident, please contact a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. by calling 215-329-3511.