What was supposed to be a straightforward trip to Peru for a major sporting event turned into a life-altering experience for a U.S. judo coach.
Arturas Lanchinskas, 30, a respected martial arts instructor and third-degree black belt, found himself dealing with a medical emergency mid-flight—caused not by turbulence, but by a pot of scalding hot coffee.
A Simple Accident with Devastating Consequences
Lanchinskas, who owns Darfight Martial Arts in Brooklyn, was en route to Lima to coach Team USA at the 2023 Pan American Judo Championships.
While seated aboard JetBlue Flight 1825, a flight attendant accidentally spilled a pot of boiling coffee directly onto his face and into his right eye.
According to a lawsuit now filed, the burns were immediate and severe.
The scalding liquid caused significant injury to the right side of his face and eye, leading to what is now being described as permanent vision damage.
“Like Fire on My Eyeball”
In an interview with The New York Post, Lanchinskas described the intense pain he felt: “It felt like a surge of fire hit the surface of my eyeball.
The pain was sharp and immediate, like a burning needle.”
Fortunately, a doctor happened to be seated next to him and quickly advised him to flush his eye with water.
But this solution only led to more problems.
A Desperate Need for Help—Met With Frustration
Despite being in visible distress, Lanchinskas said the flight attendants seemed more annoyed than concerned.
His attorney, Erin R. Applebaum, claims that the crew actually reprimanded him for going to the restroom repeatedly to rinse his eye.
“One of them even told him, ‘Sir, you’re not the only one on the airplane, we have other guests who need to use the facilities,’” Applebaum stated in the lawsuit.
Instead of assistance, he says he was met with impatience and indifference.
Emergency Care in Peru—But Permanent Damage Remained
When the plane landed in Lima, Lanchinskas was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors treated the burns.
However, the long-term damage had already been done.
Upon returning to New York, eye specialists diagnosed him with both a thermal and chemical burn. The consequences were irreversible.
He now suffers from constant sensitivity to light and has a reduced field of vision in his right eye—an especially devastating blow for someone whose profession depends on physical awareness and precision.
Legal Action Underway Against JetBlue
The lawsuit, citing the Montreal Convention (an international treaty that holds airlines responsible for injuries during international travel), claims JetBlue is liable for damages.
Applebaum is pushing for compensation that reflects the serious, permanent nature of Lanchinskas’s injuries.
A Broader Pattern of In-Flight Incidents?
This case isn’t the only recent incident involving injuries aboard U.S. flights.
Just last month, five passengers and crew members on an American Airlines flight were hospitalized after the aircraft hit sudden and violent turbulence.
That flight, traveling from Miami to Raleigh-Durham, experienced a dramatic altitude drop.
The jolt sent items like laptops and phones flying across the cabin, injuring several passengers.
One man was reportedly knocked unconscious, a flight attendant was burned by spilled boiling water, and another crew member broke an arm.
The Bigger Question: Are Airlines Doing Enough?
Both incidents raise growing concerns about passenger safety—not just from turbulence or accidents, but also about how crews respond to in-flight emergencies.
For Lanchinskas, what started as a journey to guide athletes on the mat turned into a personal fight for justice, recovery, and accountability.