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Woman claims United Airlines staff called for an emergency landing and kicked her and her family off the flight because her daughter was suffering from autism.
Doctor Donna Beegle from Tigard, Oregon, stated that she and her family were coming back from a trip they took at Disney World when her teenage daughter started to get agitated as she was hungry during a delay in Houston.
Beegle explained to a news station that her daughter refused to eat cold food and she couldn’t carry in her bag anything warm. So she asked one of the flight attendants to give her daughter Julie something warm to eat.
The attendant told her she could bring her a warm sandwich but when the sandwich arrived it was already cold so the girl refused to eat it. Beegle asked the attendant if she could pay for something warm from the meals listed in first class. But she was given a negative answer and she practically had to beg for them to help her.
She told them she has a child with special needs and she requires to eat something warm otherwise she will have a meltdown, but that didn’t make the staff from changing their attitude. Eventually they brought her a warm meal after which the girl calmed down and she started watching a movie nice and quiet.
All of the sudden she heard the crew announcing that the plane is obliged to take an emergency landing in Salt Lake City, as they were dealing with a passenger who is presenting trouble.
After they landed, there was police officials waiting for them at the airport who escorted Beegle and her entire family off the plane. The woman stated that she couldn’t believe what was going on and her entire body was shaking.
The situation that went on during the flight, was recorded and posted on YouTube by Beegle. When listening to the video there can be heard passengers saying that what was going on was ridiculous and that most certainly the airline company will be facing a lawsuit.
The hurt mother, posted on Facebook a long message about the event and told the world that her 15 year old daughter has been flying since she was six months old and has traveled to five different countries and 24 states and this was the first time she and her family were dealing with something like this.
Going on with her explanations, Beegle has put the event on the ignorance of the airline staff. Not being educated and informed on the matter and not owning the necessary knowledge and ability to understand a person with special needs.
United Airlines released a statement to explain their point of view on the matter. The airline company stated that they consider the staff made the correct decision as they thought about the safety and well being of the entire flight when they decided to land in Salt Lake City because the situation became disturbing.
Beegle said that she has already filled an official complaint addressed to the United Airlines and also the Federal Aviation Administration and the next step she was planning to take was to sue the airline. Her main goal is not to obtain money from the company but to make them train their staff better.
Julie Beegle has been diagnosed with autism around the age of three years old and her IQ is very high, but she has difficulties in communicating.
Image Source: news.com.au
