Latest news with #ArturasLanchinskas
National Post
21-07-2025
- Health
- National Post
American judo coach suffers vision loss in JetBlue coffee air incident
An American judo coach might have suffered permanent vision loss after a freak in-air accident, according to reports. Article content Arturas Lanchinskas, 30, a third-degree black belt, was flying to Peru to coach the American team at the Pan American Judo Championships in July 2023 when the incident happened. Article content Article content Lanchinskas owns Darfight Martial Arts in Brooklyn and was on JetBule Flight 1825 when a flight attendant allegedly dropped a pot of scalding coffee, according to the Daily Mail. Article content The coffee burned his face and right eye, according to a lawsuit obtained by Article content 'As a result of the hot coffee splashing onto Plaintiff's face and into his eye, he was caused to sustain severe burns to the right side of his face and severe injuries to his right eye,' the lawsuit reads. Article content 'It felt like a surge of fire hit the surface of my eyeball,' Lanchinskas told The New York Post. 'The pain was sharp and immediate, like a burning needle.' Article content Coincidentally, the passenger seated next to Lanchinskas was a doctor and told him to flush his eye repeatedly with water. Article content But the lawsuit alleges flight attendants were mad at Lanchinskas for using the washroom too often to flush his eye with water. Article content Attorney, Erin R. Applebaum said in the lawsuit that the flight attendants were complaining that other passengers needed to use the bathroom. Article content 'He was even told, 'Sir, you're not the only one on the airplane, we have other guests who need to use the facilities,'' Applebaum said. Article content Once the plane landed, Lanchinskas was rushed to a local hospital in Lima, where doctors treated the burns to his face and eye. But he was later diagnosed with a thermal injury and chemical burn to his right eye. Article content
Daily Mail
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Team USA Judo coach 'suffers permanent vision loss' after freak mishap aboard JetBlue flight
A Team USA judo coach has allegedly 'suffered permanent vision loss' in one eye after a JetBlue flight attendant splashed scalding coffee into his face mid-flight. Arturas Lanchinskas, 30, a third-degree black belt, was flying to Lima, Peru to coach the US team at the Pan American Judo Championships in July 2023 when the freak accident occurred. The martial arts instructor and owner of Darfight Martial Arts in Brooklyn, was seated aboard JetBlue Flight 1825 when a flight attendant dropped a pot of burning hot coffee she was serving. The scalding hot liquid, which was spilled accidentally, burned his face and right eye, according to the lawsuit obtained by 'As a result of the hot coffee splashing onto Plaintiff's face and into his eye, he was caused to sustain severe burns to the right side of his face and severe injuries to his right eye,' the lawsuit states. 'It felt like a surge of fire hit the surface of my eyeball,' Lanchinskas told The New York Post. 'The pain was sharp and immediate, like a burning needle.' The passenger next to him happened to be a doctor and urged him to flush his eye repeatedly with water. But instead of helping, the plaintiff alleges that the flight attendants grew irritated with him for frequenting the restroom too often. His attorney, Erin R. Applebaum, who is representing him, said in the suit that the flight attendants were complaining that other passengers needed to use the bathroom. 'He was even told, 'Sir, you're not the only one on the airplane, we have other guests who need to use the facilities,'' Applebaum claimed in the suit. Once the plane landed, Lanchinskas was rushed to a local hospital in Lima, where doctors treated the burns to his face and eye. But the damage was permanent. When he returned to New York, eye doctors diagnosed him with a thermal injury and chemical burn to his right eye. The injury left him with permanent sensitivity to light and a reduced field of vision, Applebaum said. The lawsuit states JetBlue is liable to pay 'full, fair and reasonable damages to Plaintiff, Arturas Lanchinskas, pursuant to the Montreal Convention,' which governs airline liability for injuries during international travel. In June, five shaken American Airlines passengers and flight attendants were taken to the hospital after being injured by extreme turbulence on the way to North Carolina. 'Unexpected' disturbance' hit on flight 1286, traveling from Miami to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Sudden altitude drops sent laptops, cellphones and other personal items flying through the aircraft - forcefully striking those aboard. Passengers alleged they saw a man knocked unconscious, a flight attendant scorched by spilled boiling water from a drink cart and another who sustained a broken arm.
New York Post
19-07-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Flying blind: Jetblue attendant splashes scalding coffee in eye of Team USA judo coach: suit
A Team USA judo coach suffered permanent vision loss in his right eye when a clumsy JetBlue flight attendant dropped a pot of coffee she was serving — splashing hot java in his face, he said in a lawsuit. Arturas Lanchinskas, a third-degree black belt who owns a top martial arts school in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, was headed to the Pan American Judo Championships in Lima, Peru in July 2023 to coach the American team when scorching spill on Flight 1825 changed his life. 'It felt like a surge of fire hit the surface of my eyeball,' Lanchinskas, 30, told The Post. 'The pain was sharp and immediate, like a burning needle.' 3 Arturas Lanchinskas, who owns a top ranked martial arts school in Brooklyn, was on his way to a judo championship in Peru when he was hurt. Obtained by the New York Post As luck would have it, the passenger being served the coffee was a doctor, who leapt into action to help and urged Lanchinskas to repeatedly wash out his eye. Oblivious flight attendants, however, chastised the Brooklyn man for using the bathroom so much, according to his attorney, Erin R. Applebaum. 'He was even told, 'Sir, you're not the only one on the airplane, we have other guests who need to use the facilities,' ' she said. 3 The flight attendant was trying to serve coffee to someone else, but dropped the pot, sending the scalding beverage flying, Lanchinskas said in the lawsuit. bignai – 3 Arturas Lanchinskas suffered vision loss in his right eye after being splashed in the face with hot coffee on a JetBlue flight, he said in a lawsuit. Obtained by the New York Post He went to a hospital after the plane landed in Peru, where doctors treated the burns on his face and eye, the attorney noted. Eye specialists in NYC have since diagnosed him with a thermal injury and chemical burn of the right eye, Applebaum said. 'He has a reduced field of vision and his eye is permanently sensitive to light,' she said. Lanchinskas' Darfight Martial Arts is ranked second in the country by USA Judo and Team USA won two silver and five bronze individual medals at the Pan American U15 Championships. JetBlue did not immediately return a request for comment.
