Man crawls off plane? A partially paralyzed man is suing Delta Airlines for crawling across the tarmac at the Nantucket Memorial Airport in Massachusetts in 2012, according to reports this week.
D. Baraka Kanaan, 40. claimed that Delta employees did not help him exit the plane and was forced to crawl hand-over-hand to exit. The Hawaii man filed a lawsuit in Honolulu this week, contending that Delta employees neither helped him when he asked nor did they give him the proper equipment to leave the plane, reported Nantucket’s Inquirer and Mirror.
According to the Houston Chronicle, he said airline workers told him that the only way he could get off the plane was crawl down the aisle, down the steps, and across the tarmac.
The suit names Delta Airlines and 20 unnamed individuals.
Delta issued a statement about the incident.
“Caring for and accommodating the needs of customers with disabilities to ensure accessibility is a top priority for Delta. Our agents and attendants are always available to help our customers before boarding, in the air and at the destination airport,” the statement reads.
It added: “It is Delta’s policy to fully comply with all applicable rules and regulations governing accessibility for customers with disabilities. This includes providing assistance during the boarding and deplaning process, such as providing timely wheelchair assistance, mechanized lifts, and ramps when needed.”
Kanaan said that in 2000, he suffered paralysis when he was involved in a car accident. When he was in Nantucket last year, he was going to speak at a yoga festival.
According to the Inquirer and Mirror, he said in the lawsuit he was wearing his “nicest suit” when he had to crawl across the tarmac.
