United Airlines is being sued by the family of a six-year-old who is claimed to have been “scarred and disfigured” by the spillage of a hot in-flight meal, according to a federal court filing made in Illinois in early February.
Fold-down table
The flight, from Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), USA, took place in July 2022.
Court documents describe a hot meal being passed to the child’s mother, who placed the food in front of her daughter (referred to as O.F. in the filing). The meal was placed on a typical aircraft fold-down tray table, but the table was not working properly and, the suit alleges, no one among the crew warned anyone it was defective before the incident.
The food contents on O.F.’s meal tray were unreasonably hot and caused O.F. to suffer severe burn injuries.
the lawsuit alleged
Severe burn injuries
The family say the table was sloping down at such an angle that the food slid off the tray and poured into the child’s lap. To make matters worse, the “food contents on O.F.’s meal tray were unreasonably hot and caused O.F. to suffer severe burn injuries.”
As well as suing the airline for negligence for its alleged failure to maintain the tray table in good working order and the excessive temperature of the food, the family’s lawsuit claims that the plane’s crew were unable to respond to their requests for “prompt medical attention” which, the filing goes on to say was “partly because United did not equip the aircraft used for the flight with reasonable medical supplies to treat burn injuries.”
Scarred and disfigured
The result of the incident, the lawsuit says, is that child O.F. was in “extreme discomfort” for the duration of the flight and has been left “scarred and disfigured”. The family is claiming damages for medical treatments past and future and is seeking at least $75,000 from the airline.
Another maintenance crisis?
Citing the airline for failure in terms of maintenance, inspection and repair may send shivers through an industry already facing a crisis of confidence in Boeing due to a series of eye-popping incidents related to manufacturing and maintenance standards. United flies a blended fleet of Airbus and Boeing craft, but is historically synonymous with Boeing. It outsourced hot food catering in 2021 and is reportedly supplied by Gate Gourmet.
United Airlines has told press it cannot comment on pending litigation.
