Dog Closes Tailgate On NJ Woman’s Head, Prompting Lawsuit Against Volvo

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River woman is suing Volvo claiming she suffered a traumatic brain injury after a friend's dog walked under a Volvo and triggered its automatic tailgate closing system, hitting her in the head.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Superior Court in Ocean County by Megan Kohr, alleges she has suffered the injury Oct. 15, 2023, after going for a hike with a friend in Bergen County.

Kohr said she was a passenger in the vehicle driven by her friend, who also is a defendant in the lawsuit. The friend works for Volvo and owns the dog, according to the lawsuit.

After the hike the two women were standing near the back of the Volvo — the lawsuit does not identify what model of Volvo — with the tailgate open when the friend's dog walked under the bumper, where the hands-free sensor is located, and triggered it to close.

As it closed, the tailgate hit Kohr in the head, causing a traumatic brain injury that left Kohr with dizziness, vision issues and and light sensitivity, according to a doctor's affidavit in the complaint.

The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of both Volvo and Kohr's friend and seeks unspecified damages for anticipated ongoing medical treatment, along with losses from being unable to work now and "has been and will be in the future be disabled and prevented from attending to her necessary affairs and business."