(PatriotWise.com) — A passenger who was burned by “scalding hot” tea while aboard a JetBlue flight from Orlando to Hartford, Connecticut, in May filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against the airline, claiming that it was “dangerous and hazardous” to serve hot beverages while the plane was experiencing “ongoing turbulence.”
In a complaint filed in Hartford County last month, passenger Tahjana Lewis said she was seated behind a passenger aboard JetBlue Flight 2237 who had ordered tea from the drink cart during a period of turbulence. When the flight crew attempted to serve, the “scalding hot” tea spilled onto Lewis, causing “severe” burns to her chest, breasts, left buttocks, right arm, and legs, causing “disfigurement and scarring.”
Edward Jazlowiecki, Lewis’ attorney, told ABC News that the airline’s decision to serve hot drinks during “serious” turbulence was “gross negligence.”
The lawsuit alleges that the “unreasonably and dangerously hot” tea served by the airline was at temperatures that were “beyond what is accepted in the food service industry.”
Jazlowiecki accused the flight crew of failing to take action after Lewis was scalded by the hot tea. He said they did not check to see if there was a doctor on the flight nor did they divert to a closer airport for an emergency landing.
He said the crew should have done more to assist Lewis, accusing the airline of doing nothing until the flight arrived in Hartford and Lewis got off the plane.
Jazlowiecki told CBS News that the complaint is another example of the airline industry’s failure to keep passengers safe, especially during heavy turbulence.
According to Jazlowiecki, Lewis suffered extensive second-degree burns and some third-degree burns. She went to the emergency room on arrival in Hartford and has since consulted with a skin specialist about possibly getting skin grafts.
The complaint alleges that Lewis is “partially disabled” from the incident, and the burns have limited her ability to work. The lawsuit also claims that Lewis has endured emotional suffering from the incident.
Jazlowiecki said the incident also traumatized Lewis’ five-year-old daughter, who was traveling with her on the flight.
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