Woman In Wheelchair Forced To Crawl Onto Plane Files Lawsuit
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) -- A woman in a wheelchair has sued Fort Worth-based American Airlines after she says she was forced to crawl onto a plane in San Diego.
According to KHON2 in Hawaii, Theresa Purcell was told she arrived too late to utilize a ramp for boarding her commuter plane. As a result, she was forced to crawl all the way to her seat in front of waiting passengers.
"I crawled up onto the steps. I crawled into the plane. There was no other way for me to get on the plane so I crawled up to the plane," Purcell told KHON2.
The airline later apologized for the incident, but refused a request for compensation from Purcell's lawyer.
"Thank you for your letter of demand on behalf of Theresa Purcell. American Airlines will not be issuing any compensation for your client's injuries claim."
Purcell and her attorney are hoping the airline will learn a lesson from the incident.
"I was humiliated. It was embarrassing to have 50-something people watch you crawl into a plane," Purcell said.
According to the report, the lawsuit requests general damages in excess of $75,000, as well as punitive and other damages.
Purcell is a hip-hop artist who suffers from Charcot-Marie-Tooth's disease.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)