Southwest Faces Lawsuit After Hot Coffee Burns Child

A Utah family sued Southwest Airlines after a careless flight attendant spilled boiling hot coffee on their 4-year-old son. Ryan and Kamrie Wong filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in Chicago over an incident that happened last September. 

According to the lawsuit, the incident happened on September 19, 2024, during Southwest Flight 4059 from Orlando to Chicago Midway International Airport. They were ultimately flying to Salt Lake City but had to connect from Chicago. 

A flight attendant was carrying a drink tray on one arm when hot coffee spilled over Ryan and Kamrie Wong’s four-year-old son, identified only as K.W. in the lawsuit. The boy shrieked in pain and said, “It’s so hot!” 

Second-Degree Burns from Hot Boiling Coffee

He suffered second-degree burns to his buttocks, according to the lawsuit. In addition to this, the lawsuit also described the flight attendants as unapologetic, and ” unsure how to treat K.W.’s burn injuries and which medical supplies to use.”

The complaint stated, “K.W. was in significant, visible, and vocal pain and distress throughout the rest of the flight.” After landing in Chicago, the family had to wait for another flight to Utah, where they are based. 

The lawsuit also mentioned that the boy’s burn blisters burst when a Southwest gate agent assisted him. The couple alleged that the agent made the injury worse by forcibly placing K.W. directly on his buttocks, as opposed to laying him on his side to avoid putting pressure on his burn injuries.

Since the coffee burn incident, the lawsuit claimed that the child had difficulty doing different activities. These include sitting in his car seat, using the bathroom, and getting dressed.

The lawsuit also claimed that K.W. lost two weeks of preschool including activities such as Halloween party and Christmas because of “social anxiety, increased fearfulness, and feelings of shame, embarrassment, and withdrawal.”

The Wongs are suing Southwest Airlines of negligence and are looking for unspecified damages over $75,000. Southwest did not comment on the case.