CBS News
JetBlue passenger sues airline, alleges she was severely burned by hot tea
A Connecticut woman is suing JetBlue for $1.5 million after she allegedly suffered extreme burns from hot tea she claims was spilled on her chest and lap during a turbulent flight.
On May 15, Tahjana Lewis was traveling with her 5-year-old daughter on a JetBlue flight from Orlando, Florida, to Hartford, Connecticut, when flight attendants started beverage service during a bout of turbulence, according to the lawsuit filed in June. In her suit, Lewis claims that a passenger seated in the row in front of her requested a cup of hot tea, the contents of which spilled onto Lewis as it was being served by the flight attendant, resulting in severe burns.
Lewis is suing the New York-based carrier for negligence, arguing that JetBlue’s flight staff served water for tea and other beverages at an unreasonably hot temperature that was beyond food service standards. The flight staff also failed to properly administer first aid to Lewis after the incident happened, according to the lawsuit.
“They did basically nothing to dissuade her pain,” Lewis’ attorney Edward Jazlowiecki told CBS MoneyWatch.
Lewis claims she suffered severe burns on her upper chest, legs, buttocks and right arm as a result of the spill, and that some of burns will be permanently disabling and involve a great deal of pain and medical expenses.
JetBlue didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Turbulence
The lawsuit serves as an example of how airlines are not doing enough to keep customers safe in the air, specifically during turbulence, Lewis’ attorney Edward Jazlowiecki told CBS MoneyWatch.
“There’s a lot of turbulence out there and the airlines really don’t care about the comfort of the passengers or their safety,” Jazlowiecki said.
Lewis’ case comes just weeks after flight turbulence led to a 73-year-old British man dying while on board a Singapore Airlines flight to Bangkok. At least 20 other passengers on that flight were treated in an intensive care unit after the flight landed. In May, a dozen people were injured during a Qatar Airways flight hit by turbulence while en route from Doha, Qatar, to Dublin, Ireland.
Aircraft turbulence, which can range from mild bumps and jolts to dramatic changes in altitude, is caused by “atmospheric pressure, jet streams, air around mountains, cold or warm weather fronts, or thunderstorms,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and is considered a normal occurrence in the airline industry. According to a 2021 National Transportation Safety Board report, deaths and serious injuries caused by turbulence are rare.
CBS News
Trump to hold second rally at site of attempted assassination
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
CBS News
Eye Opener: At least 70 people killed in gang attack in Haiti, United Nations says
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
CBS News
Floods, landslides struck parts of Bosnia as residents slept, leaving at least 16 dead and several missing
A severe rainstorm struck Bosnia overnight Friday, killing at least 16 people in floods and landslides in several towns and villages in central and southern parts of the country, with surging waters rushing into people’s homes as they were sleeping.
Rescue services in the south said several people were missing and called on volunteers and the army to assist as roads were closed and houses left without electricity.
Josip Kalem, a resident of Fojnica, one of the towns hit by the floods, said his dog’s barking woke him up at around 4 a.m. When he came out on the terrace, he saw the water rising rapidly.
“I came down, woke up my wife, and we looked around, we could not get out of the house. We saw more and more water coming in,” he said. “All of a sudden, the water was flooding the garage, basement, my car — everything. The water swept it all away, including my dog. Flood took it downstream.”
Andja Milesic, another resident of Fojnica, also said she was caught by surprise in the middle of the night.
“When I woke up, my bedroom floor was already soaked. I walked into the hallway — water was everywhere — the living room, everywhere,” she said. “It was horrible.”
Darko Juka, a spokesman for the local administration, said at least 14 people had died in and around the southern town of Jablanica. Officials later said two more bodies have been found.
“Those are the ones who have been discovered by rescuers,” he said. “We still don’t know the final death toll.”
“I don’t remember such a crisis since the war,” Juka said referring to the 1992-95 war in Bosnia that left the country in ruins. “The scale of this chaotic situation is harrowing.”
Defense Minister Zukan Helez told N1 regional television that troops have been engaged to help and that the casualties were reported.
Helez said that “hour after hour we are receiving news about new victims. … Our first priority is to save the people who are alive and buried in houses where the landslides are.”
A pregnant woman lost her baby after she was rescued from the floods and transferred to a hospital in the regional center of Mostar. Authorities said doctors were fighting for her life as well. Separately, a child was successfully rescued and hospitalized, local officials said.
Rescue services in the towns of Jablanica and Kiseljak said the power was off overnight and mobile phones lost their signal.
The Jablanica fire station said that the town was completely inaccessible because roads and trainlines were closed.
“The police informed us that the railroad is also blocked,” the state rescue service said in a statement. “You can’t get in or out of Jablanica at the moment. Landline phones are working, but mobile phones have no signal.”
It urged people not to venture out on the flooded streets.
Human-caused climate change increases the intensity of rainfall because warm air holds more moisture. This summer, the Balkans were also hit by long-lasting record temperatures, causing a drought. Scientists said the dried-out land has hampered the absorption of floodwaters.
Drone footage broadcast on Bosnian media showed villages and towns completely submerged under water, while videos on social networks showed dramatic scenes of muddy torrents and damaged roads.
One of the busiest roads linking Sarajevo with the Adriatic coast via Jablanica was swept into a river, together with a railway line in a huge landslide, according to photos.
“Many people are endangered because of big waters and landslides. There is information about victims and many injured and missing persons,” said the civic protection service.
Authorities urged people to stay on the upper floors of their homes. Reports said surging waters swept away domestic animals and cars as the water swiftly filled up lower floors of buildings.
The heavy rains and strong winds were also reported in neighboring Croatia, where several roads were closed and the capital of Zagreb prepared for the swollen Sava River to burst its banks.
Heavy winds have hampered traffic along the southern coast of the Adriatic Sea, and flash floods caused by heavy rain threatened several towns and villages in Croatia.
Floods caused by torrential rains were also reported in Montenegro, south of Bosnia, where some villages were cut off and roads and homes flooded.
In 2014, floodwaters triggered more than 3,000 landslides across the Balkans, laying waste to entire towns and villages and disturbing land mines leftover from the region’s 1990s war, along with warning signs that marked the unexploded weapons.