Attorneys for a Kentucky physician forcibly removed from his United Airlines seat after he refused to voluntarily give the spot are addressing the public Thursday at a news conference in Chicago.
Attorneys for David Dao, 69, requested an order from the Cook County Circuit Court requiring that Chicago officials and United keep "all video, cockpit recordings and other reports from the flight, along with the personnel files of the Aviation Department officers who pulled Dao from the plane," the Chicago Tribune reported.
“Will there be a lawsuit? Yeah, probably,” Chicago-based personal injury lawyer Thomas Demetrio said Thursday. “As you know, we’ve taken a step ... to protect and preserve certain evidence we’re going to need down the line. It’s not just a matter of throwing the video up and asking the jury, ‘OK, who wins?’”
A hearing on the order is scheduled for Monday.
Dao suffered various injuries, including a significant concussion, a broken nose and an unspecified injury to his sinuses, Demetrio said. He will need reconstructive surgery and lost two front teeth.
“He’s shaken,” Demetrio said, adding that the doctor was discharged from a hospital on Wednesday after spending three days recovering from his injuries. “This was not a troubled passenger. This was not a nut job.”
Demetrio said the incident, reported Sunday, was a continuation of bullying tactics used by airlines -- particularly United.
“They have treated us less than maybe we deserve. I’ve concluded that based upon hundreds of tales of woe, of mistreatment, by United,” Demetrio said. “Dr. Dao … has come to understand that he’s the guy .... to stand up for passengers going forward.”
Crystal Pepper, one of Dao’s five children, on Thursday thanked the public for its prayers and concerns.
“It has been a very difficult time for our entire family, especially my dad,” Pepper said. “What happened to my dad should have never happened to any human being, regardless of the circumstances. We were horrified and shocked and sickened to learn what had happened to him and see what had happened to him.”
Passengers started filming in United Airlines Flight 3411 on Sunday after Dao refused to give up his seat, even after airline crew called police to have him removed. Video posted on social media showed Dao being manhandled by the officers as he screamed before they dragged him, bloodied, down the plane’s center aisle.
@united @FoxNews @CNN not a good way to treat a Doctor trying to get to work because they overbooked pic.twitter.com/sj9oHk94Ik
— Tyler Bridges (@Tyler_Bridges) April 9, 2017
The involved officers were placed on administrative leave as the city investigates the incident.
United CEO Oscar Munoz apologized for the incident and vowed Tuesday that the company would no long ask police to remove passengers from full flights. He also offered full refunds, in the form of cash, miles or travel credits, to all the passengers who were on Flight 3411.
Want to talk about the news of the day? Join the conversation on this story and read trending headlines on the KIRO 7 News Facebook page. Follow @KIRO7Seattle here.
Cox Media Group
