Mark Lindquist Law: Victim sues Delta Air for burns

Flight attendant served boiling hot coffee

SEATTLE, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today aviation attorney Mark Lindquist filed a lawsuit against Delta Air Lines on behalf of a victim who suffered severe burns from boiling hot coffee spilled on her during a flight.

On December 15, 2023, the victim was flying home to Seattle from Paris. While she was watching a movie, a flight attendant set the excessively hot coffee on a slanted food tray and the coffee slid and spilled onto the victim's lap. 

The victim, a flight attendant on a different airline, promptly notified Delta's flight attendants of her burn injuries and requested medical assistance. According to court documents, Delta's flight attendants were dismissive, telling the victim to "just go change."

After repeated pleas from the victim, including showing a flight attendant in the lavatory the severity of her burns, she was given a pain reliever and a bandage. The victim asked the flight attendants to find a doctor.

Delta's captain and crew declined to make an announcement asking whether any of the passengers were doctors or medical professionals able to provide care. Such announcements are standard.

Delta's crew also declined to contact a medical provider, such as MedAire, to seek a remote doctor's guidance on how to treat the victim.

After the flight landed at SeaTac Airport, paramedics examined the victim's injuries. They were surprised by the severity and said the burns were the worst they had ever seen from coffee, according to the court filing.

"You've got to get to a hospital," a paramedic said.

An ER doctor was shocked that scalding hot coffee, capable of causing such severe burns, was served on an airplane. Her burns -- on her hip, side, and abdomen – were blistering.

Lindquist's lawsuit alleges violations of the Montreal Convention and Negligence, specifically that Delta's flight attendant was "serving excessively hot coffee at a dangerous temperature above industry standards." 

Additionally, the suit alleges Delta's crew failed to provide timely and adequate medical assistance, which worsened the injuries.  

"Common sense tells you an airplane is the wrong place to serve burning hot coffee," said Lindquist.

As a result of her severe burns and the pain, the victim was unable to shower or wear her regular clothes for months. Her daily activities, such as driving, sitting, and even sleeping, all became challenging. 

Further, doctors prescribed opiates to manage the intense pain, which left the victim feeling groggy and unable to fully function. 

Though the victim has recovered and is again working as a flight attendant, the burns left permanent scars.

Mark Lindquist Law, an aviation and personal injury firm, is located in Tacoma, Washington. Lindquist represented dozens of victim families in the two crashes of the Boeing 737 Max 8 and currently represents 31 passengers in the recent door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines Boeing Max 9.

SOURCE Mark Lindquist Law