Parents Sue United Over Child ‘Burned and Disfigured’ Because of Defective Tray

United Airlines is being sued for the defective tray that led to a six-year-old getting burned and disfigured. This incident occurred during a flight from Tel Aviv to Newark in July 2022. 

Michal and Ben Fefferman claim that their 6-year-old daughter was burned because of an in-flight meal. According to court documents, the tray table was slanted downwards. 

Defective Tray and an Unreasonably Hot In-Flight Meal

The incident happened when the flight attendant gave the tray to the mother. The mother then placed it on a fold-down table in front of the child. This caused the meal to slip to the six-year-old’s lap. The suit added that the in-flight meal was unreasonably hot.

The lawsuit claims that “The food contents on O.F.’s meal tray were unreasonably hot and caused O.F. to suffer severe burn injuries,” 

No Medical Supplies Present

After the tray caused the food to slip, the Feffermans asked the United airline staff for medical attention. However, the staff denied them medical help. According to the lawsuit, it was “partly because United did not equip the aircraft used for the flight with reasonable medical supplies to treat burn injuries.”

United Airlines is accused of negligence for serving a meal at unreasonably hot temperature, using a defective tray, and not having the medical supply onboard. The lawsuit also claims that the airline failed to warn both the mother and the child that they were using a defective tray for the inflight meal. 

The flight did not divert despite the child’s injury. The suit claims that the child was in “extreme discomfort” throughout the trip. The family requests a jury trial and compensatory damages for the incident worth $75,000. The parents are looking to seek damages for medical care and treatment both in the present and in the future. 

The suit was filed in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois.