A MAN claims he was left with a disfigured penis and scarred testicles after a cup of hot tea spilled on his lap while on board a Frontier flight.
Sean Miller is seeking $150,000 for his injuries plus additional damages, claiming the incident caused him to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and sexual dysfunction.
A Frontier Airlines Airbus pictured on the runway at San Diego International AirportGetty
Sean Miller claims he was left with a disfigured penis and scarred testicles after a scalding hot cup of tea spilled on his lap during a Frontier flightGetty Images – Getty
Miller, 56, filed a lawsuit against the budget-friendly airline after suffering third-degree burns when a scalding cup of tea spilled on his lap while on a flight from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Philadelphia on September 20.
During the beverage service part of the flight, Miller said he requested a cup of hot tea, which he said was served to him “filled to the brim,” according to the lawsuit obtained by The Independent.
Miller said the drink was “at an unsafely and unreasonably high temperature and without any form of a lid.”
The hot beverage eventually spilled between his legs, penetrating his clothing and directly onto his scrotum area.
Miller was immediately hit with an overwhelming burning sensation, but “due to the tightly-situated plane seat configuration, he was unable to get up from his seat after the spill,” his attorney, Adam Barrist, told the outlet.
“Instead, [he] was trapped in agonizing pain while his body was being burnt.”
Miller, a warehouse worker, was left “crammed into his narrow seat while experiencing unimaginable torment,” the lawsuit read.
When the flight finally arrived in Philadelphia, an ambulance was on the ground waiting for Miller, who was rushed to Jefferson Methodist Hospital and then admitted into the hospital’s burn center.
Miller was left with third-degree burns as well a “highly unsightly and embarrassing discoloration of his penis, scrotum/testicles.”
A third-degree burn requires immediate medical attention, as the extreme temperatures can destroy a person’s first three layers of skin and fatty tissue, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Miller said he also suffered from a “significantly decreased sensation in his penis,” according to the lawsuit.
His attorney told The Independent he was left with permanent scarring on and around his genitalia and had been “courting sexual dysfunction” since the incident.
Miller has been unable to return to work since the incident, as he continues to suffer “great physical and mental pain and anguish,” which his attorney claims could continue well into the future “if not for the balance of his natural life.”
The lawsuit includes a list of additional issues Miller has suffered since the incident, including pinched and damaged nerves, neck pain, embarrassment, emotional harm, as well as strains, sprains, disc bulges, and disc herniations throughout his body.
Barrist claims they have sent numerous letters to Frontier but have not heard back.
“Despite multiple letters sent to Frontier Airlines via FedEx overnight courier, I have not received no communication, of any kind, back from Frontier Airlines, concerning, among other issues, the payment of my client’s past medical bills and payment for his ongoing treatment,” the attorney told the outlet.
“It was, therefore, necessary to institute suit right away.”
In a statement to The U.S. Sun, Frontier said that as a “matter of standard practice,” the airline does “not comment on pending litigation.”