Parents of 6-year-old daughter ‘burned and disfigured’ after hot meal sues United Airlines

The family is now suing the airline for $75,000 in damages

A couple has filed a lawsuit against United Airlines, claiming their 6-year-old daughter was “burned and disfigured” after a hot meal served by a flight attendant accidentally spilled on her leg on a flight to Newark. .according to independentThe incident occurred in July 2022 when Michal Fefferman and her daughter (OF) flew from Tel Aviv to Newark.

The lawsuit, filed last week, alleges that a flight attendant handed Ms. Fefferman a hot meal and she placed the tray on a fold-out tray in front of her daughter. However, the dinner plate was defective and slipped into the 6-year-old’s lap. Her parents claimed the food was “too hot”” and caused severe burns to her.

“While the tray should provide a level surface on which food and/or drink (such as the tray in question) can be safely placed, this particular tray table was defective and sloped downwards towards the seat where the OF was sitting. The food on OF’s plate was too hot, causing OF to suffer severe burns,” the lawsuit states.

The case further states that the girl “felt extremely unwell” for the remaining 12 hours of the flight because there were not enough medical supplies on board to treat her burns.

Parents accused the airline of negligence, claiming they failed to serve food at safe temperatures, adding that staff failed to maintain, inspect and repair tray tables and failed to provide medical equipment. The lawsuit also claims the child suffered scarring, disfigurement, humiliation and emotional distress.

The lawsuit seeks “non-economic damages for her past and future injuries, burns, disfigurement, scarring, discoloration, neurological deficits, injuries, pain, suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, inconvenience, humiliation, embarrassment and loss of the ability to enjoy her” Life as it has been experienced in the past and/or will continue to be experienced in the future. “

The parents want a jury trial against the airline for medical bills and more than $75,000 in damages.

United Airlines said they could not comment on pending litigation.