Disabled man forced to crawl onto plane


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A partially paralyzed man is suing Delta Airlines, claiming he was forced to crawl on and off his flights and across the tarmac because he wasn't provided with the equipment he needed to board and exit the plane, according to a complaint.

D. Baraka Kanaan, 40, of Haiku, Hawaii, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Hawaii against Delta Airlines and 20 of the carrier's employees and agents. The suit, filed on July 23, seeks damages after he endured "intense physical and extreme emotional suffering" from the ordeal.

In the suit, Kanaan said the airline subjected him to "appallingly outrageous treatment" both on his flight to Nantucket, Mass., on July 27, 2012 and on his flight back to Maui, Hawaii, two days later.

Kanaan, who suffered partial paralysis of his legs after a car accident in 2000, called Delta weeks before his flight to Nantucket, Mass., to let them know he needed an aisle chair and a lift to get off the plane and into his wheelchair, the complaint said. The airline told him he'd be accommodated upon his arrival.

But when his flight landed at Nantucket Airport, he was told by a flight attendant that the airline didn't have the equipment he needed and that the crew couldn't get him off the plane, according to the complaint.

As a result, Kanaan was "forced to crawl down the aisle of the airplane, down the stairs of the aircraft and across the tarmac to his wheelchair without any assistance."

But even though Kanaan reported the problem to Delta and was assured he'd be given what he needed on his trip home, the same thing happened to Kanaan on his flight to Hawaii.

Kanaan was told that neither an aisle chair nor a lift was available to help him on the plane. Once again, he was forced to "crawl across the tarmac, up the stairs of the aircraft, down the aisle and hoist himself into his seat," the complaint said.

The only thing the airline offered him was "a piece of cardboard to put down so his clothes wouldn't get dirty," according to the suit.

Under the Air Carrier Access Act, the airline is required to provide passengers "with a lift, aisle chair and other equipment as needed or requested," the suit said.

While the Delta disability desk offered to compensate Kanaan with 25,000 miles and $100 voucher, the lawsuit also states, the offer was not enough to quell his fears that he'd be forced to crawl again if he flew with the airline.

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He should have refused to get onto the flight until they could provide the equipment needed. If they refused to provide the equipment, he could have got his money back for them not providing adequate access to the aircraft.

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I think what he was compensated with is just.  He's blowing this way out of proportion.

Really? Given the information provided in the article I would not be happy. I have planned well in advance so that the airline has the time to prepare for my needs, and when I get there not only are they not prepared, they remove any dignity I have by making me crawl to my seat? And as compensation they give me 25,000 miles on their airline and a $100 voucher for the airline (I assume) which I would never use again for fear of suffering the same humiliation? I don't consider that to be fair, it's as good as an empty gesture in my mind.
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Disgusting the way people with disabilities get treated. Makes me sick that he was forced to crawl along the Tarmc, and downthe stairs of the plane.  its not nice, and they had every right to take the airline to court.

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Disgusting the way people with disabilities get treated. Makes me sick that he was forced to crawl along the Tarmc, and downthe stairs of the plane.  its not nice, and they had every right to take the airline to court.

 

Agreed! Had I been on that plane, I'd have gotten out of my seat to assist the guy.

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I remember that I took an airplane with small folding wheelchair then transfer to regular at US Airways in the past. they are helpful service.

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in the past i have had to use an on board chair to get on and off of a flight, they look like this and they are narrow enough to fit between the seats of an airplane.

 

On-board-wheelchair.jpg

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Hmmmm.  I wonder if he was over acting a bit and refused help... or was being loud and nasty, tho' based on his website he shouldn't act that way.  I don't know.  Seems weird that no one would help and that they would offer cardboard for him to slide on... sounds almost like he was being stubborn or something.  But we will never know since Delta's side it wasn't reported.  On the other hand it seems that Delta has had a lot of disabled person complaints.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2z0NVscVaXs

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To the fool on this thread saying he got compensated with enough your NOT DISABLED ARE YOU? I am............. enough said I think my view is BLOODY CLEAR.

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You know, I've always had a good experience with Delta (now I see how lucky I am), but I think this is common with them. A good friend of mine is a very frequent flyer, always has Diamond status (highest you can go) and regularly gets seat upgrades and perks since he travels so much.

 

He broke his leg at the beginning of the year and was on crutches for a little while. Six times he had prior-arranged for assistance. He didn't even need a wheelchair, he just needed someone to help with his bags while he walked with the crutches. Four of those six times, the promised help was not there, and he had to awkwardly push his bag along with the casted leg and it took forever to get between gates. When he asked at the desk, they told him they were "short on wheelchairs, but someone will be here soon to help". He tried waiting a few times but when he sat for nearly 45 mins once, he was afraid he'd miss the flight and couldn't count on someone showing up--especially since he had rang in advance and there should have been someone waiting when he stepped into the terminal.

 

And that's how they treated someone with the highest status you can have with an airline, whose travels probably singlehandedly pay dozens of their employees' yearly salaries.

 

tl;dr, even otherwise good airlines can TOTALLY suck at accomodating disabled people.

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Where are the pictures? Someone must've photographed him crawling around to share on twitter or instagram/facebook.

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Really? Given the information provided in the article I would not be happy. I have planned well in advance so that the airline has the time to prepare for my needs, and when I get there not only are they not prepared, they remove any dignity I have by making me crawl to my seat? And as compensation they give me 25,000 miles on their airline and a $100 voucher for the airline (I assume) which I would never use again for fear of suffering the same humiliation? I don't consider that to be fair, it's as good as an empty gesture in my mind.

 

"Humiliation" is a self-perceived notion. He elected to feel this way.  Inconvenienced is what he was; and for that, he was compensated.  As others have stated, he should not have boarded at all, especially knowing he would feel humiliated in some way.  He could have easily elected not to board either flight.  He has no one to blame but himself.

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To the fool on this thread saying he got compensated with enough your NOT DISABLED ARE YOU? I am............. enough said I think my view is BLOODY CLEAR.

I highly suggest you re-read the article and, this time, use an open mind.  When was he ever "forced" to do anything other than himself in his desperate, selfish need to catch this particular flight?  Who forced him to take this particular flight rather than seeking an airline that could service his needs? Who elected to crawl and was not "forced" to do so?  Who humiliated him other than his own mind?  

 

By the way, I live with someone with a handicap.  And almost every day I have to remind her that what is provided is a convenience under good customer relations, not a legal right.  For example, those motorized carts at the stores - convenience and good customer relations, not a legal obligation to provide one.

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"Humiliation" is a self-perceived notion. He elected to feel this way.  Inconvenienced is what he was; and for that, he was compensated.  As others have stated, he should not have boarded at all, especially knowing he would feel humiliated in some way.  He could have easily elected not to board either flight.  He has no one to blame but himself.

 

 

Everyone says that until it is their turn.

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Maybe it's time someone addressed that...with a lawsuit.

It shouldn't be an issue since all of this is covered in the access provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which obviously no one at Delta has a clue or cares one s**t about. Lawsuit indeed, and since this is in Federal Court it's no doubt an ADA complaint.

As to a photo of him squatting, SO WHAT? I'm an amputee and can squat for long enough to take a bloody picture, as can most of the people I know with cerebral palsy or other mobility issues, but how well he can WALK is the question here and that's a far different issue. Traversing stairs and ramps often present major barriers to the mobility impaired.

Delta's screwed.

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It shouldn't be an issue since all of this is covered in the access provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which obviously no one at Delta has a clue or cares one s**t about. Lawsuit indeed, and since this is in Federal Court it's no doubt an ADA complaint.

As to a photo of him squatting, SO WHAT? I'm an amputee and can squat for long enough to take a bloody picture, as can most of the people I know with cerebral palsy or other mobility issues, but how well he can WALK is the issue here and that's a far different issue.

Delta's screwed.

Airlines will get away with everything they can.  I don't recall which airline it was as it was years ago, but my wife started having an allergic reaction during the flight.  Turns out there was mold on the plane (right above her seat in fact).  They didn't do squat about it, other than have local EMTs look at her when they landed.  They didn't even offer to help her with her luggage.  

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Delta isn't exactly known as being a decent airline so this doesn't surprise me.

 

 

On the contrary, when my wife booked me to the wrong Jacksonville (Florida. I was supposed to go to North Carolina). They corrected the issue at the gate, booked me on a connecting flight to Jacksonville NC and fixed the return flight, all without charging me any more.

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