Attorney for doctor removed from United flight says he lost 2 teeth, suffered a concussion, broken nose; will undergo reconstructive surgery pic.twitter.com/Q97xNDPtrM
— ABC News (@ABC) April 13, 2017
United Airlines could soon be renamed Dao Airlines because the attorney for the doctor abused by the airline is an absolute killer in the courtroom. On Thursday, the attorney for Dr. David Dao held a press conference and presented the injuries that his client suffered from his brutal removal from United Flight 3411.
The 69-year-old doctor from Kentucky who was dragged off an overbooked United Airlines plane by law enforcement lost two teeth, suffered a concussion and broken nose. Dao was released from the hospital on Wednesday night. He will undergo reconstructive surgery.
The attorney for Dao, Tom Demetrio of the Corboy & Demetrio law firm, held a press conference on Thursday morning. He stated that no one from United or the airline’s CEO have not reached out to them, but they accept his public apology.
Here is what Demetrio had to say during the press conference:
- “If you’re going to eject a passenger, under no circumstances can it be done with unreasonable force or violence – that’s the law.”
- “For a long time airlines – United in particular – have bullied us. They have treated us less than maybe we deserve.”
- “Here’s what we want as a society: We want fairness in how people treat us. We want respect, and we want dignity. That’s it.”
- “Maybe airlines need to start expecting the unexpected but not at the expense… of its paying passengers.”
- “I don’t think this is a matter of race at all.”
- “He has no interest in ever seeing an airplane.”
- “I think it was $800,” on the final amount United offered Dao to leave plane.
- “We’re not ready to sue. We’re doing our due diligence.”
When asked if there will be a lawsuit Demetrio said, “Yeah, probably.”
Ya think?
The doctor’s daughter, Crystal Dao Pepper, also appeared at the press conference and said, “What happened to my dad should never happen to any human being.”
“My dad is a wonderful father. He has raised … five children. … He is a loving grandfather,” the daughter added.
According to his bio, Demetrio “has negotiated well over $1 billion in settlements and acquired the largest personal injury verdict ever upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court. He has never lost an appeal.”
That does not sound promising for United Airlines.
Dao was one of the four passengers who were already in their seats on the plane when they were asked and forced to leave the flight to make room for United employees headed to Louisville. Dao was bloodied during the incident from having his face bashed into a metal armrest after he was forcibly removed from his seat or as United CEO Oscar Munoz says “re-accommodated.”
As of Wednesday, the Chicago Department of Aviation has suspended three officers in connection with the incident pending the outcome of an investigation.
In an exclusive interview on ‘Good Morning America,’ United CEO Oscar Muñoz issued a public apology and pledged to make the situation right.
“That is not who our family at United is. And you saw us at a bad moment. And this can never, will never, happen again on a United Airlines flight,” Muñoz pledged.
United Airlines has said that all passengers of Flight 3411 will be compensated for the cost of their tickets from Chicago to Louisville. However, Dao will get much, much, much more than that of the cost of a flight.