A Manhattan woman is taking Amtrak to court over hot tea she says spilled on her legs and left her physically and emotionally scarred.
Ophelia Rawles, 62, of Harlem, said the plastic lid on the black tea she purchased on the train popped off and the “hot beverage” splashed, according to the Manhattan federal suit.
“It took my breath away,” the retired NYPD clerical worker told The Post of the July 19, 2023 scalding that occurred during a trip from Penn Station to Rocky Mount, NC. “The pain was excruciating. I could have had a heart attack.”
Rawles, who was on her way to visit family, said a commissary poured hot water in the cup and put the plastic lid on. She was given the tea bag, which she placed onto a serving tray with the cup of tea.
Rawles, clad in shorts, said she returned to her window seat in business class with her serving tray, opened the lid of her beverage, placed the tea bag into the hot water and “made sure to securely put that top on” when the train — which had been at a standstill for hours — “suddenly jerked,” she explained.
Rawles said the unexpected jolt caused an Amtrak dropdown tray at her seat “to automatically flop down, knock into my [serving] tray and send the cup of tea everywhere.”
The scalding tea mostly burned her upper left thigh, she told The Post.
She alleges the incident “was caused by the negligence and carelessness” of Amtrak, says the Manhattan federal court suit, which seeks unspecified damages.
Her attorney, Max Leifer, charges the negligence includes “having the hot drink at an excessive temperature.”
She has “permanent scarring, requiring laser and other possible medical treatment. In addition to the physical scarring, the plaintiff claims emotional and psychological disability,” the suit says.
Amtrak did not return messages.
Last year, a Georgia woman was awarded $3 million in a lawsuit settlement after allegedly being severely burned by a piping-hot cup of coffee served to her at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru.
