By Lina Bryce
A wheelchair-bound woman was left little choice, resorted to crawling to her seat on a flight from San Diego, when an airline agent at the gate told her it was too late to set up a ramp so she could board, according to Khon 2 News. 33-year old Theresa Purcell who suffers from Charcot-Marie-Tooth’s Disease was determined to board the plane, and while everyone watched, she pulled herself up the steps and crawled to her seat on the plane.
“So when I asked that I can’t walk up on the stairs, and then she was like, so how you going get on the plane then? And I was like, oh wow,” said Purcell. “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 has gotten an apology from American Airlines, however, she still moved forward with filing a lawsuit. She and her attorney feel this could serve as a valuable lessons to the airline.
“I was humiliated. It was embarrassing to have 50-something people watch you crawl into a plane,” Purcell said. It is typical of her to ask to have a ramp or wheelchair lift to help her board the plane, however, this is the first time she was flying with American Airlines. Needless to say, she was shocked when she was told that it was too late for her to have a chairlift to board the plane, as she had notified them in advance that a ramp would be needed.
“There was a ramp right next to the plane and she was like, ‘Oh, it’s too late,’ so I was like ‘Okay, so we can’t just, the ramp is right there. Can’t you guys just push it right here so I can get on?’ and she’s like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry,” Purcell said.
When her attorney wrote a letter requesting compensation, Purcell received another blow by the airline with a response that read:
“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.”
A tearful Purcell told the media source, “You wouldn’t want to watch your family member crawl on to a plane. I mean, come on, this is America, I’m just saying there’s always a way.”
One flight attendant approached her once she had found her seat on the plane to say, “You’re a trooper. I’ve never seen anybody crawl like that,” Purcell’s attorney told the reporter.
Purcell claims to have been deeply affected by this experience.
“Is today another time where I have to climb onto an airplane again, where all these people have to watch me embarrass myself again, and I gotta be there, hoping please, I hope I never see these people again?” Purcell said.
A lawsuit was filed on Friday. Purcell is seeking $75,000 in general damages, plus punitive damages.
The Libertarian Republic has reached out to American Airlines for comment and has not heard back from them.
