A US man has sued Frontier Airlines for $150,000 in damages after he was left with third-degree burns and ‘disfiguring scars’ on his penis, testicles and thighs after hot tea was splashed on him, according to a report in The Independent. The man, identified as Sean Miller was flying home from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina when the scalding drink left him injured. He was immediately rushed to the hospital upon landing and later transferred to an area burn centre for specialised treatment due to the severity of the wounds.
As per the lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Mr Miller had requested hot tea during cabin service when the ‘scalding’ hot water, filled to the brim, was handed to him in a “negligent fashion”. The liquid was at an “unsafely and unreasonably high temperature” and “without any form of a lid”, the suit added.
As per Adam S. Barrist, Mr Miller’s attorney, his client has suffered discolouration on his penis, scrotum along with “significantly decreased sensation in his penis,” “post-traumatic stress disorder,” and “lack of self-esteem,” plus at least one herniated disc.
“Due to the tightly-situated plane seat configuration, Mr Miller was unable to get up from his seat after the spill and, instead, was trapped in agonizing pain while his body was being burnt,” Mr Barrist told the publication.
Mr Miller was reportedly forced to take off time from work after the incident and incurred “substantial” medical expenses, which added to his mental trauma, added Mr Barrist.
Also read | US Girl Awarded $800,000 After She Was Severely Burned By McDonald’s Chicken Nugget
Woman sues EgyptAir
This is not the first instance when a US citizen has sued an airline for spilling a hot beverage. Last week, 35-year-old Esraa Hezain sued EgyptAir for $5 million in damages as she suffered “second-degree burns” from a hot liquid splashed on her.
As per the Brooklyn federal court documents, the incident took place in February earlier this year as the beverage, kept in a “lidless cup” of tea flew off a “defective” seat tray and splashed over her. Hezain’s attorney, Abram Bohrer said his client had suffered second-degree burns to her lower abdomen, her right inner thigh and buttocks. “For the price of a lid this didn’t have to happen,” he said.
