Moments away from pushing again from the gate on my American Airways flight from Gainesville, Florida to Charlotte, North Carolina, a supervisor stepped aboard with a troubled look on his face. He approached my seat and, main with an apology, delivered the unhappy information that my energy wheelchair had been dropped throughout loading into the plane cargo maintain.

Gainesville, Florida is my house. Its airport is small — just lately expanded from 3 to five gates and served by solely two airways, American and Delta, with a restricted variety of day by day departures. From the airline workers to TSA brokers and even the airport janitors, I do know nearly everybody — and everybody is aware of me. I like my house airport — it’s clear, trendy, environment friendly and staffed by an unimaginable group of people who find themselves really the perfect within the enterprise.

The American Airways staff in Gainesville handles my wheelchair greater than another, oftentimes a number of days per week. They’ve loaded and unloaded it safely extra occasions than I can depend and at all times deal with it with the care it deserves.

When it turned clear that my wheelchair was not solely broken however totaled — it has a bent body, damaged wheel and is not in a position to energy on — I used to be stunned. “That by no means occurs right here,” I assumed. However, in that second, I deeply inhaled the recirculated cabin air and mentioned, “OK, no downside, I’ll deplane and we are able to determine this out after the flight departs.”

One of many first questions I requested was, “is everybody on the ramp OK?” They had been. Thankfully, nobody was injured when the wheelchair fell from the belt loader. The supervisor noticed it tipping and rightly advised everybody to filter. As essential as it’s for passengers’ wheelchairs to be safely dealt with, they’re replaceable machines — it’s not value somebody being damage or worse in a failed try to put it aside.

Many occasions, when wheelchairs are broken by airline personnel, it is because of a scarcity of coaching within the correct dealing with of mobility gear or, dare I say, sheer negligence. Who can neglect the article I shared in 2019, The whole lot You Have to Know About Wheelchair Dealing with at American Airways in One Photograph. Whereas mistreatment of passengers’ wheelchairs stands out as the norm at different airports, that’s not the case in Gainesville. Within the small airport surroundings, nobody is a stranger and wheelchairs are revered as an extension of the passenger.

I knew, from the second I used to be knowledgeable of my wheelchair’s premature demise, that it was a real accident. An sincere mistake by good individuals whom I belief.

After I had disembarked from the plane, the captain met me within the jet bridge to supply a honest apology. I reassured him that I used to be in good palms, defended the AA staff who I do know so effectively, and warranted him that I used to be not upset. “Accidents occur,” I mentioned, as I shrugged my shoulders.

Within the terminal, the native AA staff supplied a refrain of apologies, helped me into an airport wheelchair, and noticed to it that I used to be located in a cushty location. They repeatedly checked on me whereas organizing a loaner wheelchair and made an effort to make sure that my wants had been met.

My wheelchair is destroyed and the scenario is just not best. I’d by no means, nor do I intend to low cost the actual risks introduced by an incident like this. It was not that way back that beloved incapacity rights advocate Engracia Figueroa misplaced her life after United Airways negligently mishandled her wheelchair. Wheelchairs are essential gadgets that present for the mobility, independence and well being of disabled individuals, myself included. All of that may be very actual, and I’m no much less affected by my wheelchair being destroyed in Gainesville than I’d be at another airport.

It’s a horrible scenario to be in, however I’ve skilled it earlier than: over the previous eight years, my wheelchair has been written off as a complete loss 3 times beforehand by three totally different airways. Whereas that appears like quite a bit, in the present day would have been my 916th flight as a wheelchair consumer. 4 destroyed wheelchairs in 916 flights quantities to a 0.4% likelihood of the worst-case situation. I’ll take these odds in an effort to see and expertise the world.

My response is totally different in the present day as a result of I’ve little doubt in my evaluation that this was an sincere mistake. These accountable are individuals I belief, and the accident didn’t happen due to any negligence or lack of concern for me or my wheelchair. The native AA staff’s response, their repeated apologies and expressed remorse, was proof to me of that truth.

Though my journey has been disrupted, my journey delayed and my wheelchair broken past restore, I sit up for my subsequent Gainesville departure. Within the coming days, I’ll work with the airline’s company baggage staff to type out the scenario — I’ll count on to be made complete, because the regulation requires, and can await a test issued for the worth of my wheelchair. With that, I’ll have the ability to begin looking for a brand new set of wheels.

When you’ve got a favourite model or mannequin of wheelchair, I’d love to listen to your suggestions within the feedback under!