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

Screenshots from Dove's ad featuring transgender women
Dove

'One Million Moms' Calls For Dove Boycott Over Hair Care Ad Featuring Trans Woman

The vehemently transphobic conservative group One Million Moms (OMM)—an arm of the Christian fundamentalist nonprofit American Family Association (AFA)—called for a boycott of Dove products after the company featured a transgender woman in an advertisement for their Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Conditioner.

The ad garnered attention after it was shared by the social media account Libs of TikTok—run by the anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Chaya Raichik—which described the ad as an example of "another woke company trying to erase women."

Keep ReadingShow less
Alyssa Milano; Julian McMahon
Michael Kovac/Elton John AIDS Foundation/Getty Images; Marcus Ingram/The Surfer/Getty Images

Alyssa Milano Shares Poignant Tribute To 'TV Husband' Julian McMahon After His Death At 56

Actor Julian McMahon lost his battle with cancer at the age of 56 earlier this week, and to say that the Charmed, Nip/Tuck, and Fantastic Four actor touched many lives would be an understatement.

When the news of McMahon's passing went public, his Charmed costar and "TV wife" Alyssa Milano came forward and expressed her sadness and condolences on Instagram. The pair were a favorite couple on Charmed, and it was clear from her post that their care for each other extended beyond the screen.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Slept With Their Best Friend Describe The Aftermath

When two people have a deep and meaningful friendship, the question might eventually come up of whether or not they could be more. Agreeing that their friendship might deserve more, they might try to date or at least explore physical intimacy.

But crossing that line carries with it consequences, and it's only once the pair crosses that line that they'll find out if crossing it was good or bad.

Keep ReadingShow less
child writing on chalkboard
Leonardo Toshiro Okubo on Unsplash

Bilingual People Explain Which Words They're Surprised Don't Exist In English

According to one report, approximately 3.3 billion people worldwide—43 % of the population—are multilingual, meaning they speak at least two languages. According to the last Census, 21.6% of people in the United States speak more than one language, while in the United Kingdom, the number is 36%.

More multilingual people speak English as a second language than English speakers who have learned another language besides English. Worldwide, people who learned English as a first language rate among the lowest in multilingual rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival
Harry Durrant/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield meets fan with wild tweet!

American actor Andrew Garfield had a funny yet awkward reunion with a fan from a viral “Thirst Tweet” featured on Buzzfeed Celeb.

The Thirst Tweet compilation shows celebrities reading a collection of scandalous tweets from fans commenting on their looks, attractiveness, and sex appeal. Blushing stars include James McAvoy, Renee Rapp, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Mackie, and more recently, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, as they promote F1 the Movie that was released in theaters last week.

Keep ReadingShow less