Featured Image Credit: FOX2NOW
Topics: American Airlines
Anish Vij
A disabled man says American Airlines allegedly lost his $26,000 prosthetic leg and won’t reimburse him.
Owner of the aluminium leg, Michael Williams, said he was flying from Indianapolis to Charlotte on his way home to St. Louis back in 2020.
He claims to have packed the 'special-made leg' in his suitcase with a 'fragile' sticker clearly marked on the outside.
However, once he arrived back in St. Louis, the luggage was nowhere to be seen.
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“You can’t do this to somebody that’s disabled. Just say, ‘Hey, we lost something of yours, but we’re not going to pay for it,’” Williams told FOX 2 St. Louis.
“The special-made leg, I put it in my suitcase. I put the sticker on it that says 'fragile'.
“I gave it to the young lady at American Airlines when I was checking in. When I get to St. Louis airport, they roll me downstairs to baggage claim. I’m sitting there waiting for my luggage to come off, and never comes off.
“When I spoke with the young lady that was handling the claim, she told me this was to cover the clothes that you lost. I was like, 'Ok, fine, great'.”
But Williams was allegedly informed by the airline that they 'don’t have enough proof or evidence to pay for the leg, so we’re not going to pay for the leg'.
Despite claiming to have followed the airline's delayed/damaged baggage protocols, the reimbursement cheque he received was only a little over $600.
The disabled man has since hired an attorney to negotiate on his behalf because the leg was worth '$26,650 to be exact'.
He is also frustrated because good quality prosthetic legs that suit his body-type are hard to find.
“When you find the one that works, that’s the one you want to hold onto,” Williams explains.
The St. Louis man says he is no longer excited to get on a plane and the whole experience has put him off travelling.
“It’s to the point where I don’t want to fly. I feel like if I fly again, what if I have to fly with my wheelchair and they lose my wheelchair this time,” Williams said.
“And they tell me we lost your power wheelchair, but hey, we’re not going to do anything about it. It’s like, what do you do?”
UNILAD has contacted American Airlines for comment.