Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Amputee Says He Had To 'Crawl Across The Floor' After United Airlines Confiscated The Batteries For His Scooter

Amputee Says He Had To 'Crawl Across The Floor' After United Airlines Confiscated The Batteries For His Scooter
CBC News / YouTube

Stearn Hodge has been fighting for years, but it looks like he may finally get his day in court.


Back in 2017, he planned an anniversary trip with his wife from their home in Canada to Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to Mr. Hodge, that trip was ruined by United Airlines.

Mr. Hodge is a double amputee. After a work accident back in the 80's he lost one arm and one leg.

Doctors do not suggest he wear prosthetic devices because he has a high risk of infection. Mr. Hodge has used a mobility scooter to get around since. That scooter is powered by a lithium-ion battery.

Here is Mr. Hodges, his wife and the scooter.

CBC News / YouTube

Normally, these batteries are not allowed on airplanes because they pose a slight fire risk, but most airlines make exceptions for people with disabilities or illnesses as long as they get prior approval.

Knowing this, Mr. Hodges got that approval before his three-week anniversary trip to another country.

He brought along all required documentation of his condition and his prior approval, as well as a print-out of the airlines rules. Still, when he arrived for his flight nobody would listen to him or read any of the documents he brought along.

The Canadian Air Transit Security Authority (CATSA) agent confiscated his battery as well as his back-up battery, which both cost approximately $2,000 each.

Mr. Hodge even asked for an agent from United Airlines to confirm with travel security that he had, indeed, gotten the prior approval required.

The agent confirmed, but still sided with security and refused to allow the batteries aboard the flight:

"I still remember the CATSA agent saying, 'Well, you could get a wheelchair.' How's a one-armed guy going to run a wheelchair? How am I going to go down a ramp and brake with one hand? But that shouldn't even have to come up."

Because of the nature of his amputations, Mr. Hodges cannot operate a standard wheelchair. He also cannot "scoot" on his bottom the way some double amputees can.

Without his scooter, he has to crawl face-down on his belly on the floor. It's not only humiliating, it's dirty and potentially dangerous.

Mr. Hodges demonstrated for CBC news.

CBC News / YouTube

Since the airline confiscated both of his batteries, he was forced to not only crawl through the flight, but spend much of his three-week anniversary trip confined to a bed, unable to do the activities he had planned with his wife.

"An anniversary is supposed to be all about remembering how you fell in love ... and keeping that magic alive, and those things were denied. I'm crawling across the floor and it is pathetic."

The airline issued an apology and offered him travel credits, but since then he tried to use them and was stopped with the same issue more than a dozen times. Now, he wants to take his complaints before The Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Mr. Hodges isn't here asking for new laws or regulations to be put in place; he is fighting to force airlines to comply with the regulations that already exist. Currently, none of the airlines that have blocked him from flying with his approved medical device have seen any sort of punitive action.

Check out this interview:

Amputee calls for human rights action after scooter battery seized | CBC Go Publicwww.youtube.com


As news of his fight made rounds online, people have responded with nothing short of outrage.









Shamefully, this isn't the first instance of United Airlines treating disabled passengers as less-than.

A quick Twitter search turned up some horrific posts.







More from Trending

Barack Obama
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Obama Offers Iconic Reaction After He Accidentally Photobombed A Family's Photos In DC

If you try to take nice pictures in a scenic location, there will likely be people wandering through the background of your photos, because everyone else will also be enjoying the scenery.

In most cases, people try to time the shots between passersby or edit them out afterwards, but after a photoshoot in Washington D.C., one family will definitely not be editing out the accidental guest walking among the cherry blossoms and the Washington Monument.

Keep ReadingShow less
children sitting on floor in classroom
CDC on Unsplash

Historical 'Facts' People Learned In School That Are Actually Not True

The phrase "history is written by the victors" is a common saying. It's often attributed to Winston Churchill, although there's no proof he said those exact words.

It points out that those who win conflicts shape how those events are remembered, recorded, and taught to future generations, leading to biased historical accounts and warped perceptions.

Keep ReadingShow less

Modern 'Conveniences' That Actually Make Life Harder

Making life simpler...

That is always the goal, right?

Keep ReadingShow less
Person holding cigarette
Luiz Rogério Nunes/Unsplash

One Night Stands That Turned Into A Total Nightmare

Ahh, the trials and tribulations of dating life.

On the one hand, it could be exciting and very promising. On the other hand, it could be a total disaster.

Keep ReadingShow less
Person's eyes glowing in the sunlight
Photo by Marina Vitale on Unsplash

People Who Clinically Died And Came Back To Life Share Their Experiences

We've all heard the questions about what happens when we die, whether there is life after death, and whether we really will walk through a tunnel of white light or not to get there.

But people who have had a near-death experience, in that they were declared clinically dead and were then resuscitated, might have the answers we're looking for, and their answers are quite peaceful.

Keep ReadingShow less