New York woman sues Amtrak over hot tea that burned her leg

A Manhattan woman is suing Amtrak over hot tea that she says spilled on her legs and left her physically and emotionally scarred.

Ophelia Rawles, 62, of Harlem, said the plastic lid of the black tea she bought on the train came loose and the “hot beverage” splashed out, according to the Manhattan federal lawsuit.

“It took my breath away,” the retired NYPD clerk told the Post of the July 19, 2023, scald that occurred while traveling from Penn Station to Rocky Mount, SC. North. “The pain was excruciating. I could have had a heart attack.

Rawles, who was on his way to visit family, said a commissary poured hot water into the cup and put the plastic lid on. She was given the tea bag, which she placed on a serving tray with the cup of tea.

Rawles, dressed in shorts, said she returned to her window seat in business class with her serving tray, opened the lid of her drink, placed the tea bag in the hot water and “had made sure to put this on” when the train – which had been stopped for hours – “suddenly jumped,” she explained.

Rawles said the unexpected jolt caused an Amtrak drop-down tray at his seat to “automatically collapse, hit my (serving) tray and send the teacup everywhere.”

The scalding tea mainly burned her upper left thigh, she told the Post.

She alleges that the incident “was caused by the negligence and recklessness” of Amtrak, says the suit in Manhattan federal court, which seeks unspecified damages.

His lawyer, Max Leifer, accuses negligence of “consuming the hot drink at an excessive temperature”.

She has “permanent scarring, requiring laser and other possible medical treatments.” In addition to the physical scars, the plaintiff claims emotional and psychological disability,” the suit states.

Amtrak did not return messages.

Last year, a Georgia woman was awarded $3 million in a lawsuit after she allegedly suffered severe burns from a piping hot cup of coffee served to her at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru.