The attorney for Dr. David Yao, the man violently dragged off a United Airlines plane on April 9, had plenty to say in his first television interview this morning.
Including this little nugget-he is now also working with the mother whose stroller was forcefully yanked away from her in an April 21 incident by an American Airlines flight attendant. The male flight attendant, who also nearly came to blows with another passenger, has since been suspended by the airline after other passengers said he almost hit one of the woman's young twin daughters with the stroller.
Appearing on NBC's TODAY Show this morning, lawyer Thomas Demetrio addressed both cases
"We're hoping that Dr. Dao being taken off that plane like a sack of potatoes is going to resonate with people, and this latest incident with American Airlines will resonate with people," he said.
Demetrio said there will be a lawsuit in the case of Dao and United Airlines over the incident. After all passengers on a Chicago to Louisville flight declined to voluntarily be rebooked, four passengers were chosen at random to be involuntarily bumped. Dao refused, and the embarrassing altercation took place that went viral.
Demetrio said Dao is still "mentally and physically hurt" over the incident in which he suffered two broken teeth, a broken nose and a "significant concussion."
Asked if there will also be a lawsuit by the mother against American Airlines-which was far more responsive than United to the respective incidents-Demetrio said he wasn't sure yet.
[READMORE]READ MORE: United CEO Calls Incident A Watershed Moment [/READMORE]
"We've got a flight attendant out of control, we've got a distressed mother," he said. "This is a real, real problem and the mother told me point blank her concern was her child, who almost got hit by the stroller."
Though the viral video from the American Airlines incident does not show the flight attendant taking the stroller away, it does show the embarrassing aftermath of the enraged flight attendant.
As it turned out, American Airlines gate agents escorted the woman and her children off the plane and put them on a later flight, in first class.
The crew member was "removed from duty."
"We have seen the video and have already started an investigation to obtain the facts. What we see on this video does not reflect our values or how we care for our customers. We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident. We are making sure all of her family's needs are being met while she is in our care," the carrier said on the same night as the incident.
"After electing to take another flight, we are taking special care of her and her family and upgrading them to first class for the remainder of their international trip. The actions of our team member captured here do not appear to reflect patience or empathy, two values necessary for customer care. In short, we are disappointed by these actions. The American team member has been removed from duty while we immediately investigate this incident."
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