Viral video of Florida airport employees mishandling wheelchair triggers federal investigation: 'Unacceptable'
MIAMI, Fla. - A video of baggage handlers at a Florida airport improperly caring for a wheelchair has gone viral, prompting the Department of Transportation to investigate the "unacceptable" incident.
The video, shared by Haeley Dyrdahl on Tiktok on Nov. 19, shows American Airlines employees at Miami International Airport transporting wheelchairs from the gate to the tarmac using a ramp. It happened at around noon at Terminal E.
"That is not what I'd call ‘handling with care’ for someone's mobility device," she captioned the video.
Dyrdahl said the wheelchair seen in the 21-second clip was the third she "saw them carelessly toss and let flip off like that." The video amassed over 3 million views on TikTok.
@haez93 Dang, after i saw them do this and laugh with the first two wheelchairs i had to get it on film. That is not what id call "handling with care" for someones mobility device…. #AmericanAirlines #handlewithcare #mobilitydevice #wheelchair ♬ Oh No - Kreepa
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The video was reshared on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Becca Peter to raise awareness about the mishandling of wheelchairs at airports.
"Wheelchair users have been trying for ages to raise awareness about their wheelchairs being broken so often when they fly, and the devastating impact this has on them. (American Airlines) baggage handlers decided to give a demonstration of how much they enjoy breaking them," Peter said.
This post received over 7 million views on the social media platform, and sparked a conversation that can be summed by a report from the Paralyzed Veterans of America published in September. The veterans service organization said over 32,000 wheelchairs were damaged, delayed or lost during air travel between 2019 and 2022.
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The viral video also caught the attention of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who said the Department of Transportation will now investigate the incident.
"This is totally unacceptable. We'll be investigating," Buttigieg said on X. "This is exactly why we are taking action to protect passengers who use wheelchairs. Everyone deserves to travel safely and with dignity."
The 2020 presidential candidate also shared a link to the DOT's disability policy, which outlines the work the agency is taking toward increasing access for people with disabilities when it comes to enabling safe and accessible air travel.
In a statement to FOX 35, American Airlines said they are reviewing the video and will take the necessary next steps.
"We recognize how important it is to support the independence of customers with disabilities by ensuring the proper care of mobility devices throughout their journey with us. This visual is deeply concerning and we are gathering more details so that we can address them with our team," American Airlines said. "We will continue to work hard to improve our handling of assistive devices across our network."
The airline, which said it has established a customer accessibility team and council to improve travel experiences for those with any type of disability, also said it's installing wheelchair movers and lifts at various airports with high mobility device traffic in an effort to "help lower the risk of damaging mobility devices and employee injury."
"We routinely provide training for our Customer Operations teams that focus on the appropriate handling of wheelchairs and other mobility devices, and we have engaged these teams to determine areas where we can continue to improve," American Airlines added.