Teenage boy is awarded £56,000 after cup of tea spilt on his leg and left him with a scar on flight

Teenage boy is awarded £56,000 after cup of tea spilt on his leg and left him with a scar during flight from Dublin to Turkey

  • Emre Karakaya, 17, was permanently scarred after the July 22, 2017 incident
  • He successfully sued Turkish Airlines Inc through his mother, Leeanne Karakaya
  • The pair had visited a plastic and reconstructive surgeon over the scarring

A teenage boy was awarded £56,000 in damages after a cup of tea spilt on his leg and left him with a scar during a flight from Dublin to Istanbul.  

Emre Karakaya, of Ursuline Crescent, Waterford, claims he was permanently scarred when a scalding cup of tea was knocked out of his hand onto his right thigh by a member of cabin crew. 

Karakaya, who was 13 at the time of the incident, later sued Turkish Airlines Inc through his mother Leeanne Karakaya. 

Emre Karakaya, of Ursuline Crescent, Waterford, was awarded £56,000 in damages after a cup of tea spilt on his leg and left him with a scar during a Turkish Airlines flight from Dublin to Istanbul

The £56,000 settlement was approved by a High Court judge on Monday.   

Karakaya’s mother told the court she had taken her son to a consultation with a plastic and reconstructive surgeon after the incident. 

The doctor told the pair Emre had been scalded by the hot tea and that though the wound had healed in three weeks, he would be left with permanent noticeable scarring. 

Karakaya's lawyers argued in favour of the £56,000 settlement in court on Monday, telling Mr Justice Garret Simons they felt the sum was reasonable

Karakaya’s lawyers argued in favour of the £56,000 settlement in court on Monday, telling Mr Justice Garret Simons they felt the sum was reasonable

Karakaya’s lawyers argued in favour of the £56,000 settlement in court on Monday, telling Mr Justice Garret Simons they felt the sum was reasonable.

The boy’s case had been valued at a settlement fee of between £47,000 – £64,000. 

Mr Simons said he accepted the defence’s fee because it was ‘slap-bang’ in the middle of the range.

There was also concerns the Karakayas would be awarded less if the case went to court because of new guidelines on personal injury awards.