An Ohio man is suing the TSA for spilling his mother's ashes all over the contents of his luggage, leaving him unable to fulfill her last wish by scattering her ashes in the sea, the New York Daily News reported.
Shannon Thomas placed the urn, which had a screw-on top and was secured with extra padding, into his luggage when he took a flight from Cleveland Hopkins International airport to Puerto Rico in October 2012. But upon arrival Thomas opened his luggage to find what was left of his mother spilled all over his clothes, according to his lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court.
The only explanation was a note the Transportation Security Administration left notifying him the contents were inspected.
Thomas is now seeking $750,000 from TSA, claiming its workers "negligently, carelessly, and recklessly replaced the lid of the urn, placed a bag inspection notice in Plaintiff's suitcase, and sent the bag on its way," reads the lawsuit obtained by the Daily News.
Because of TSA's actions, Thomas was unable to fulfill his mom's final wish by spreading her ashes in the Caribbean Sea, the plaintiff claims.
"No person speaking on behalf of the United States or TSA has ever issued an apology, explanation or notification to Plaintiff aside from the bag search notice," claims Thomas' lawsuit, which is also filed against the U.S. government, the Attorney General and the Department of Justice.
A TSA representative declined to offer comment because the lawsuit is still pending, FOX 8 Cleveland reported.
According to TSA guidelines, "all urns are subject to screening and must pass through the X-ray machine" to weed out security threats. But "under no circumstances will an officer open the container."
