Child Pop Star Sues Airline Over Chicken Skewer Injury

A former child pop star who now works as a yoga instructor in Los Angeles is suing Singapore Airlines after she says a splintered chicken skewer served during a business-class flight became lodged in her throat and damaged her vocal cords.

Briohny Smyth, 44, claims she was flying to Los Angeles on July 28, 2024, when she unknowingly swallowed a jagged wooden splinter that broke off from a chicken satay skewer served with her in-flight meal, according to a federal lawsuit filed July 24 in Los Angeles.

Smyth, who had a platinum album in Thailand when she was just 13 years old, says the shard caused immediate pain, violent coughing and frightening choking sensations after it became stuck in her throat.

According to the complaint, Smyth suffered “substantial pain and emotional distress” while trying to expel the object during the flight. She eventually coughed up a jagged wooden shard that measured about 1.5 inches long.

The lawsuit says Smyth was seated in business class and was eating the meal as intended when the alleged incident happened.

After the flight, Smyth claims she continued to suffer from throat discomfort, vocal fatigue, raspiness, tightness and pain when speaking or singing for extended periods. She later saw an otolaryngologist, who allegedly found scarring and trauma to her vocal cords consistent with an injury from a sharp foreign object.

The lawsuit describes Smyth as a professional singer, performer, wellness educator and public speaker whose career depends heavily on her voice.

Because of the alleged injury, Smyth says she has suffered bodily harm, loss of earning capacity, professional setbacks and anxiety connected to eating and flying.

Smyth is seeking damages for past and future medical expenses, past and future lost earnings and earning capacity, emotional distress tied to bodily injury, legal costs and pre- and post-judgment interest.

The lawsuit comes amid a string of unusual in-flight food-related legal claims.

Last year, a New York City doctor with a severe shellfish allergy sued Singapore Airlines after allegedly being served a meal containing shrimp. That flight, traveling from Frankfurt to New York’s JFK Airport, was reportedly diverted to Paris so Dr. Doreen Benary could be taken to a hospital.

In another case, a New Jersey woman sued JetBlue after claiming she broke an incisor on an ice cream sandwich she described in court papers as “dangerously cold” and “frozen solid.” Karla Quinonez said she needed an emergency tooth extraction after landing, followed by an implant and continuing treatment.

Last November, a North Carolina mother sued Qatar Airways for $5 million after her 3-year-old daughter, who has a severe dairy allergy, was allegedly given a chocolate bar by a flight attendant despite repeated warnings that the child could not have milk. The lawsuit says the toddler went into anaphylaxis, her vital signs declined and she later spent two days in intensive care.

Smyth, meanwhile, is still known in wellness circles. A yoga video she appeared in back in 2011 went viral and has racked up nearly 16 million views on YouTube.

Singapore Airlines did not respond to a request for comment, according to The Independent.