A mother’s dream of a £5,000 Caribbean cruise was ruined when she claimed a flight attendant poured ‘boiling hot coffee’ onto her lap, which burned between her legs so badly she could not sit down for the nine-hour flight.
Tracy Rawlins, 55, and her husband Matty Rawlins, 54, had spent an ‘amazing’ week celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary on a cruise before they say she was burned to death on her return flight from Barbados to Birmingham on February 26 this year .
The mother, from Water Orton, Warwickshire, says a flight attendant ‘wobbled’ and accidentally poured the boiling liquid onto her lap, burning her thighs through a thin dress.
Tracy claims the incident happened at the start of the flight on the first tour of duty, leaving her in such “pain” that she was unable to sit down for the remainder of the nine-hour flight.
The mother-of-two claims the ‘horrific’ incident could have been avoided if she had been given the usual tray to keep all her food and drinks in – instead of the cabin crew member pouring directly into a plastic cup held by Tracy.
Tracy Rawlins’ (along with husband Matty) dream of a £5,000 Caribbean cruise was ruined when she claims a flight attendant poured ‘boiling hot coffee’ onto her lap – so burning between her legs she couldn’t sit down for the nine hour flight
Tracy, from Water Orton, Warwickshire, says a flight attendant ‘wobbled’ and accidentally poured the boiling liquid onto her lap, burning her thighs through a thin dress
Tracy says cabin crew members applied burn gel to the wounds and informed her that the accident would be recorded in an accident book, which she would receive by email.
However, Tracy says the flight ran out of vegetarian meals and she was left without food or a tray – despite having the same problem on the outward journey, where she claims she was given chocolate fingers instead of a meal.
The education worker says the incident left her with ‘excruciatingly painful’ blisters and scars that left her feeling self-conscious over the summer.
Tracy said: ‘It ruined a great holiday. We were snorkeling, had lots of days out at different beaches and went to small islands.
‘It was beautiful and a great holiday, but spoiled by the flight home.
‘There have been quite a few accidents along the way.
‘There were no vegetarian meals, so I said I’d just have coffee.
“Since I didn’t have a tray of food, she just gave me a plastic cup to hold in my hand.
“She poured the coffee and wobbled a little, but she just kept pouring it straight into my lap.
‘It was absolutely terrible. I couldn’t get up and I just screamed.
“I was strapped to my seat because of the turbulence and it just burned me.
‘It just kept going. The more I screamed the more she was shocked and it just kept coming out.
‘It was a surreal moment, I thought it would never end.
‘I was in absolute agony for the rest of the flight. It was horrible.
“I stood up for the rest of the flight. I couldn’t sit down, my legs couldn’t even be brought together, it was the most painful thing ever.
‘The pain got worse. I immediately started getting blisters.
“It was boiling water and she had just boiled it because we were sitting next to the kitchen.”
Tracy Rawlins had spent an ‘amazing’ week celebrating her 30th wedding anniversary on a cruise with her husband before she said she was burned on her return flight from Barbados to Birmingham on February 26 this year (cruise ship pictured)
‘It ruined what was a great holiday. We were snorkelling, had lots of days out at different beaches and went to little islands,” said Tracy (pictured)
‘We feel completely ignored. It’s absolutely disgusting. We have always had quite expensive holiday packages, but we are certainly not valued customers.’ said Tracy (photo with husband Matty)
Tracy says cabin crew members applied burn gel to the wounds and informed her that the accident would be recorded in an accident book, which she would receive by email.
She claims staff promised Tracy and Matty would receive an email recording the accident, but the pair say this was never received, prompting her to file a complaint.
Tracy said: “We feel completely ignored. It’s absolutely disgusting. We have always had quite expensive holiday packages, but we are certainly not valued customers.
‘It has left a huge bitter taste in my mouth because of the way we have been ignored.
‘It could have been a little two-year-old child sitting there.
‘It was clearly not their intention, we were so ignored when it happened.
‘It could have been prevented. She could have gone and gotten a tray to put the cup on.
“Something needs to be done so this never happens to anyone else.”
Tracy says she received medical treatment for her burns a few days after the incident, with her GP prescribing a special cream.
Tracy said: ‘It took a few weeks for my blisters to heal.
‘My legs are quite big anyway, so the chafing and everything else made it unbearable.
‘I have scars and discolouration that bothered me last summer because you want to sunbathe, maybe go on holiday again and wear short skirts or shorts.
‘I’m not going to do that now. It has put me off and definitely made me more self-aware.”
Tracy and Matty say they have sought legal advice and appointed a lawyer in connection with the incident.