Man to sue airport authorities for mishandling his Mum’s ashes
An air traveller is suing the Transportation Security Administration for ’emotional distress and mental anguish’ after claims TSA agents failed to properly seal the lid of an urn containing the ashes of traveller’s deceased mother.
Shannon Thomas of Cleveland packed the urn in a suitcase to fly to Puerto Rico where he planned to scatter the ashes according to his mother’s wishes.
On retrieving the bag at the destination, he claims the ashes were scattered throughout the suitcase alongside a TSA inspection notice.
The lawsuit says the discovery caused Thomas ‘severe and persistent emotional distress and mental anguish’.
It claims the TSA ‘negligently, carelessly, and recklessly replaced the lid of the urn, placed a bag inspection notice in the plaintiff’s suitcase and sent the bag on its way. This action caused the urn to open and spilled the remains of the plaintiff’s mother on the inside of the plaintiff’s suitcase and on the plaintiff’s personal effects.’
The lawsuit is seeking $750,000 in damages.
The incident, if proven, goes against official TSA policy, at least when taking an urn through screening as a carry-on item.
The policy states: “If carrying on the crematory remains, they are subject to screening and must pass through the X-ray machine. Under no circumstances will an officer open the container, even if the passenger requests this be done.”
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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