'DON'T LET ME GO'
Quadriplegic woman left bloodied and ‘humiliated’ when ‘air crew dropped her on her face during jet switch’
A QUADRIPLEGIC woman was left bloodied and "humiliated" after allegedly being dropped onto her face by airline staff.
Hunter Adkins, 38, says she was boarding an American Airlines connection flight from Dallas, to for an annual ski trip when the incident happened.
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Hunter says that, as staff carried her to her seat on the plane, she made clear that she could not support herself, and asked them not to drop her.
She alleges that, despite her pleas, one stewardess let go, allowing her to fall to the floor and leaving her with cuts and bruises.
"I told them three or four times, “Don’t let me go, don’t let me go. I cannot catch myself',” she told .
"I lead with my head and I toppled to the floor.
"No one wants to fall on their face and then get weird looks and be humiliated."
After assessing Hunter, a doctor said she was okay to fly, and she was able to go ahead with her vacation, but she did have to get stitches for the injuries she got in the fall.
When she returned home, mom Becky reacted furiously to what had happened.
"Oh, I’m sort of the grizzly bear or, as my children refer to me, as their nuclear button,"; she said.
Becky lodged multiple complaints with the airline, but said they initially denied responsibility.
The airline reportedly claimed Hunter had "attempted to self-transfer".
They said further that their staff "did not recall any communication about not letter her go until the seat belt was fastened".
RESPONSE A 'JOKE'
Responding to the claims, Hunter said: "That’s just a joke. They’re making that up."
She added that the extent of her disability would make it impossible for her to move herself.
Four other people have also verified her account.
Fellow passenger Julie Maloukis said: "Hunter says, ‘Don’t let me go, don’t let me go'.
"The female employee puts her in the seat and lets her go, and there was this loud thud and I even felt it; it vibrated.
"That’s how hard she hit."
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The airline later gave Hunter a $200 voucher for her next flight, and when pushed further also offered a "sincere apology" and agreed to refund the price of the flight for both Hunter and her carer.
They have also said they will cover the medical costs Hunter incurred getting her injuries treated.
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