Tiernan & Co Solicitors Secure €55,000 Settlement for Woman Scalded on Ryanair Flight

Original article published on The Irish Times.

Lidija Miliute (26) claimed her thighs, abdomen and wrist injured when cup spilt off defective tray table

A woman whose abdomen, thighs and wrist were scalded on a Ryanair flight has been awarded €55,000 damages.

Lidija Miliute (26) told the court she was travelling on a flight back from Lithuania when a cup of tea slipped off a defective “slanted” tray table and spilt over her.

She told Judge James O’Donohoe in the Circuit Civil Court she spent almost two hours in agony on the flight after being scalded, despite receiving first aid in a toilet from cabin staff and a nurse who was on the flight.

Barrister Conor Kearney, who appeared with Mark Tiernan of Tiernan Solicitors for Ms Miliute, told the court his client suffered very extensive second degree burns when the incident occurred an hour into the flight from Palenga Airport to Dublin on March 28th, 2022.

“She was left with ongoing blemishes particularly on her abdomen and thighs and has a permanent scar to her wrist,” Mr Carney said.

Ms Miliute, a shop manager, of The Chase, Ramsgate Village, Gorey, Co Wexford, said she was adding milk to her tea on the slanted tray table when the cup slid from the cup holder indentation on the tray and spilt over her.

She was treated in the toilet with cold water and cream and asked if she required an ambulance to meet her at Dublin Airport.

She sought treatment from her GP on her return but had to go to St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin days later.

During the flight, Ms Miliute said she was served tea and realised the tray table was slanted towards her.

She alleged that a cabin crew member asked her to try the tray table on the seat next, but this was also slanted. This was denied in court.

Cabin staff who gave evidence said they would never have allowed a passenger to continue sitting at a seat with a loose or defective tray. They said the seat would have been taped off and the passenger moved.

One crew member said she saw Ms Miliute moving around in her seat as if she was looking for something just prior to the spillage, but could not say if her movements contributed to what happened.

A Ryanair technical services engineer told the court there were frequent scheduled inspections of aircraft cabins and logs kept of any required repairs.

Judge O’Donohoe said he found Ms Miliute a responsible and caring individual and could not find any contributory negligence on her part.

“The injuries, it is fair to say, are more of blemish types rather than permanent scarring apart from the scar on her wrist, but they are certainly disfiguring,” he said.

He awarded €55,000 after taking into account the scarring and “considerable pain and suffering” she experienced.

On the grounds that liability was at issue, Judge O’Donohoe granted Ryanair a stay on his order pending consideration of an appeal to the High Court.