Virgin Australia faces a lawsuit from a teenage passenger who suffered severe burns from spilled coffee onboard a flight last year.
The 16 year-old-boy, Rhett Butler who hails from Southeastern Australia, was on a Virgin Australia flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Sydney (SYD) in May 2015 when the incident happened.
Just after take-off, a cabin crew member was carrying coffee and dropped a tray onto Butler’s lap. He allegedly suffered burns, blisters and scarring to his thighs, groin, genitals and midriff.
According to the lawsuit, Butler’s father, Brian Butler, had to provide medical assistance due to a lack of assistance from the flight crew. The airline is not providing any more information at this time other than to confirm the lawsuit.
“Virgin Australia takes the safety and comfort of our passengers extremely seriously, however given this particular matter has not yet been resolved it would not be appropriate to comment any further,” the Virgin Australia spokesperson said in a statement.
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