On April 10th, David Dao, 69, was dragged off of the overbooked United Flight 3411 at O'Hare International Airport. He suffered many injuries from the physical confrontation, including a severe concussion, a broken nose, and two missing teeth -- he was released from the hospital on Wednesday but will need further reconstructive surgery. The disturbing scene was captured on the phones of other passengers on the flight, spreading like wildfire through social media sites and causing outrage. Mr. Dao was wrestled out of his seat by a security officer who dragged him down the aisle, screaming and flailing, as his glasses slid down his face and his shirt rode up his midriff. United has apologized for overbooking the flight.
Overbooking is a common problem, and it's not the first time that an airline's attempt to maximize their profit by selling more tickets than they have seats for caused a problem. However, this time, Mr. Dao reportedly accused the employees of singling him out because of his ethnicity. After stating, “I’m not getting off the plane. I’m a doctor; I have to see patients in the morning," Mr. Dao complained that he had been selected to be removed because he was Asian. A doctor, he had patients to treat in the morning and yet was still forced to leave the plane.
According to Stephen L. Golan, who is representing Mr. Dao in the case, stated that being dragged off the plane was worse than when he fled Vietnam. Crystal Pepper Dao, his daughter, said at a news conference, “What happened to my dad should never happen to any human being, under any circumstance.” The family is still in shock as Mr. Dao recovers and prepares to file a lawsuit against United Airlines and the City of Chicago. What are your opinions? Were United Airlines and the police justified in their actions? How would you react if you were in Mr. Dao's shoes?
Read more about the incident here: