A disabled man is suing Delta Airlines, claiming that he was forced to crawl on and off their flight by airline staff.
D. Baraaka Kanaan, a paraplegic, is suing the airline for a significant sum in damages, claiming to have "endured physical and extreme emotional suffering" from the experience.
The 40-year-old said the incident happened during a flight from Maui, Hawaii to Nantucket, Massachusetts, on July 27, 2012.
With no additional assistance to help him board the plane, Kanaan says he was forced to crawl onto the plane, down the aisle, down the stairs, and across the tarmac with no assistance. The alleges that he had to do the same again on the return trip back.
Kanaan was left paralyzed after a car accident in 2000 and has since relied on a wheelchair to get around.
Kanaan says he had called Delta Airlines weeks before to notify them of his disability so proper arrangement could be made when he needs to board the flight. He had requested an aisle chair and a lift to get off the plane.
However, when he landed at Nantucket, the aisle chair and lift were not prepared. When he asked what his options were to get off, a flight attendant told him, "I don't know, but we can't get you off the plane."
Kanaan then had to "[crawl] hand over hand through the main cabin and down a narrow flight of stairs and across the tarmac to his wheelchair." This caused "great physical and emotional suffering."
On his flight back, the same thing happened, but airline staff offered to place a piece of cardboard underneath Kanaan so his clothes would not get dirty. He complained to the airline, which offered him a $100 voucher and 25,000 SkyMiles for his trouble. But he did not accept their compensation and is instead taking the airline to court.
