Dave Bulter suffered burns to 60 percent of his body when he rescued his grandson from a brand new Volvo XC40. A week after delivery, the car was engulfed in flames.
Dave Bulter suffered burns to 60 percent of his body when he had to rescue his grandson from a brand new Volvo XC40 this week.
A week after the car was delivered, it 'exploded' in a sea of flames. Fortunately, Dave Bulter was able to rescue his grandson, who was on the trip, out of the car seat.
Suddenly the car turned into a petrol bomb on wheels on a residential road in Wigan, UK. On Facebook, Dave Bulter talks about the incident himself, which Wigan Today has also picked up.
– Yesterday my car exploded with my 19-month-old grandson and wife in it.
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– When my wife saw Rog, I tried to open the back door, but it wouldn't open. I jumped back in to save the little one.
– But in less than 10 seconds the car was full of roe and I couldn't see her in her car seat. Fortunately, I managed to feel for the seat belt and get her out of the car, writes Dave Bulter on his Facebook profile.
Now Dave Bulter has ended up in the burns department. And the car? Yes, it cannot be saved. According to the owner, an explosion in the battery pack ignited the gas tank.
– When I did this the hybrid battery exploded and ignited the fuel tank and engulfed the car in flames, I managed to get out.
Although the plug-in hybrid XC40 only has a smaller 48-volt battery to help the petrol engine forward, Dave Butler is in no doubt where the fault lies. Namely in the electrical part.
– If you think electric cars are safe, you can think again, says the burned man, who was operated on for his injuries on Wednesday.
It is not the first time that a plug-in hybrid from Volvo has exploded. The same thing happened back in May in a garage in the US state of Colorado. Read more about it here .
According to Swedish Carup, Volvo Cars has taken note of the incident. According to the Chinese car brand, the Butler family has been offered support, while an internal investigation into the incident has started.
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