JetBlue passenger severely burned after crew spilled hot tea, lawsuit says

A JetBlue passenger is suing the airline after a crew member allegedly spilled a hot drink on her during a turbulent flight.

The passenger, Tahjana Lewis, claims in the suit that she suffered “severe burns” on her chest, legs and arm. She is seeking $1.5 million in damages.

“From all the injuries or effects thereof, the plaintiff was rendered sore and partially disabled,” the lawsuit says, adding that those injuries may be “permanently disabling.”

The alleged incident took place during a May 15 flight from Orlando to Hartford, Conn., near where Lewis lives. During the flight, a crew member was serving the passenger behind her hot tea, according to Lewis’s attorney, when the plane lurched as it passed through turbulence. The crew member spilled the hot tea on Lewis’s lap and chest, causing second- and third-degree burns, according to the attorney, Edward Jazlowiecki.

JetBlue declined to comment through its attorney, Steven Arnold.

The complaint, originally filed in June with Connecticut Superior Court and was recently moved to U.S. District Court, also alleged that the tea was dangerously hot and that the crew did not “properly” administer first aid to Lewis after the spill.

Crew members gave Lewis, who was sitting in the aisle seat, something to mop up the liquid and suggested she seek medical care when she landed, according to Jazlowiecki.

The attorney added that Lewis went straight to the emergency room after landing, where he said doctors told her she may need skin grafts, as skin in the affected areas was peeling off.

Lewis, 27, was traveling with her 5-year-old daughter, who did not suffer any injuries, Jazlowiecki said.

The spill allegedly happened during turbulence, when the “fasten seat belt” sign was on. The crew shouldn’t have been serving hot drinks during that part of the flight, according to the lawsuit.

“It’s gross negligence,” Jazlowiecki said.

In recent months, there have been repeated high-profile incidents of turbulence causing injuries. On an Air Europa flight earlier this month, 30 people were treated for injuries, and on a Singapore Airlines jet in May, one person died and 30 more were injured.

Experts have advised passengers do things like buckle up and solidly stow electronics to prepare for turbulence. One retired airline pilot previously told The Washington Post that liquids can be hard to contain, though.

“You probably don’t want a cup of hot coffee in your hands,” said John Cox, an instructor at the University of Southern California.

Lewis alleged she suffered scarring and disfigurement on five parts of her body and required medical care. The lawsuit added that she couldn’t fully work because of the injuries. The more than $1.5 million she was seeking for damages would cover the cost of the medical care, missed work, mental anguish and potential future costs of related treatment.

The JetBlue lawsuit isn’t the first time a well-known company has run into trouble over allegedly spilling a hot drink on a customer. Last year, an 85-year-old woman sued McDonald’s after she alleged she was handed a cup of coffee with a lid that hadn’t been properly secured. When she tried to take a sip, the lid came off, causing “severe burns” to her body, according to that lawsuit.

That incident came three decades after a 79-year-old woman sued McDonald’s for third-degree burns she got from a 49-cent hot coffee in 1992, an incident that became a lyric in a Toby Keith song and a favorite punchline on talk shows. A New Mexico jury awarded that woman $2.7 million in punitive damages.

Hannah Sampson contributed to this report.