CHICAGO (AP) – A lawyer for the passenger forcibly removed from a United Express flight says the experience was more horrifying than when he left Vietnam during the fall of Saigon.
Dr. David Dao was dragged off a flight Sunday by airport police after he refused to give up his seat on the full plane to make room for crew members.
Attorney Thomas Demetrio says Dao came to the U.S. in 1975.
His daughter says the 69-year-old is the father of five children.
Demetrio says he “probably” will file a lawsuit on Dao’s behalf.
United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz has said he was “ashamed” when he saw the video and that the airline is reviewing its policies. Munoz says law enforcement won’t be involved in removing passengers in the future.
Demetrio says Dao suffered a concussion and broken nose and lost two front teeth. Dao has been discharged from a hospital but will need reconstructive surgery.
His daughter says the family was “horrified, shocked and sickened” to learn and see what happened.
Crystal Pepper says seeing her father removed from the Sunday flight was “exacerbated” by the fact it was caught on video and widely distributed.
Demetrio says airlines have “bullied” passengers “for a long time” and that airlines have treated us as “less than maybe we deserve.”
Demetrio says he “probably” will file a lawsuit on Dao’s behalf.
