A young girl who claimed she was scalded when hot chocolate fell on her lap on an Aer Lingus flight has settled her High Court action for €20,000.
Joy Lonergan was aged 13 at the time of the accident, which took place while travelling from Barcelona to Dublin on July 16th, 2018.
Mr Justice Garrett Simons was told that liability was at issue in the case.
Joy, now 15 years old, had through her mother Michelle Culliton, Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny, sued Aer Lingus Ltd.
In an affidavit to the court, Ms Culliton said the hot liquid spilled on her daughter’s lap and thighs on the Aer Lingus flight out of Barcelona to Dublin.
She said Joy had been returning home with the rest of the family from a holiday in Spain.
Her daughter she said was immediately treated for her burns by air stewards who applied cold water and cooling gels and also gave the girl paracetamol for pain relief.
Ms Culliton said her daughter was in considerable pain and distress and cried for the duration of the flight.
Hospital treatment
After the plane touched down in Dublin, the young girl was transferred to Temple Street Children’s Hospital for treatment.
In hospital the burns were dressed and Joy was prescribed anti inflammatories.
Joy’s dressings had to be changed over the next three weeks and Ms Culliton said her daughter was in distress and discomfort. The burns later cleared up and in December a consultant examined the thigh area and found there was no residual evidence of burns.
Approving the settlement Mr Justice Simons said the young girl suffered very unpleasant burns and it was to the credit of the Aer Lingus stewards that they tended very quickly to the accident.
The judge who had read the medical reports said the burns had healed up, though the young girl had an unpleasant time for a number of weeks.
He noted that the airline had not conceded liability and that €20,000 was the full value of the case.
