united airlines is in the headlines again after video footage has surfaced showing one of their employees attacking a 71-year-old man and pushing him to the ground. The reason the video has suddenly come into view is that the passenger in question has now launched a $1 million lawsuit against the airline.
The lawsuit and video come just two months after the incident with Dr. David Dao, who was dragged from a United Airlines flight for refusing to give up his seat, likely making for another public relations crisis for the airline.
Passenger shoved to the ground by United employee
The video and incident in question happened at Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport at the Terminal C ticket lobby in July 2015. Security video footage taken at the time shows what looks like a confrontation between a customer, Ronald Tigner, and a United Employee. According to Tigner’s attorney, William Hoke, while arguing over a boarding pass, the 71-year-old is pushed to the ground by the United employee, hitting his head and becoming unconscious – the employee then walks away.
In the footage, Tigner can clearly be seen, lying motionless on the floor close to a United Airlines ticket counter. Several employees of the airline can be seen in the footage, but no one comes to Tigner’s aid.
It was around one minute into the video footage that a woman finally approached Tigner and asks someone to call 911.
KPRC spoke to Hoke, who said on viewing the video that it was one of the most inhumane things he has ever seen. He said it was “astonishing,” especially as it shows the United employees did nothing to assist his client.
911 emergency call made by United employee
KPRC has also obtained audio footage of the 911 call made by the United employee. In the audio, the emergency dispatcher asks the United employee if the man is awake, to which the worker said he didn’t know. The 911 operator then asks him if he knows the cause of the fall, to which the worker also replied "no."
United Airlines has apologized to a 71-year-old grandfather who was pushed to the ground by an employee https://t.co/hwArfP4Pbh
— New York Post (@nypost) June 14, 2017
According to Hoke, Tigner has filed a lawsuit against United Airlines for over $1 million but said the goal is more than about money.
Tigner wants to bring an end to this kind of incident. Hoke says they want other people who have been treated like Tigner and Dr. Dao, to come forward in an effort to put a stop to this behavior.
United Airlines said in a statement to USA Today that the employee in question no longer works for the airline and was terminated in August 2015 after the incident in question. Their statement continued saying they had seen the 2015 video showing completely unacceptable behavior from one of their employees.
They went on to say that the conduct of the employee does not reflect their values or commitment to treating customers with dignity and respect. United then said they are reaching out to the customer to “profusely apologize” for the incident and to "make things right."
