A grieving son’s plans to transport his dead mother’s ashes to Puerto Rico and scatter them at sea went awry when Transportation Security Administration agents popped open the urn — and spilled them.
Shannon Thomas, from Cleveland, Ohio, had flown to Puerto Rice to scatter his mother’s ashes in the Caribbean Sea, the Daily Mail reported. When he arrived and opened his suitcase, he found a note from TSA that his luggage had been searched. He also found that the urn had been opened and spilled, the Daily Mail reported.
Mr. Thomas has launched a lawsuit against the agency, accusing it of negligence and causing him emotional stress.
He also said that the TSA’s “outrageous” treatment of his mother’s remains broke the agency’s own protocols and policies regarding the treatment of human remains, because the agent failed to put the lid back on properly, the Daily Mail reported.
His lawyers are seeking $750,000, saying the TSA acted “negligently, carelessly and recklessly,” the Daily Mail reported. They also say the TSA has failed to apologize to Mr. Thomas.
The TSA, for its part, said it can’t comment on active litigation.
The agony’s rules said agents shouldn’t open urns with remains inside, and if they are suspicious, they should bar the person from flying rather than search through the container with the ashes.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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