A video of a man pushing an unoccupied wheelchair down a flight of stairs was shared to Twitter and the internet is rightfully mad about it.
The man who pushed the chair—identified as Mercyhurst University hockey player Carson Briere—was first seen sitting in the unoccupied wheelchair before moving it towards the stairwell and proceeding to stand up and shove the mobility device down the stairs.
There were 2 other men in the video, who have since been identified as other Mercyhurst student athletes who may have helped instigate Briere's behavior.
You can see the now viral video below.
Julia clarified the reason the wheelchair was left at the top of the stairs was because the user had to be carried downstairs to use the restroom.
There were no accessible bathrooms upstairs.
Custom manual wheelchairs like the one casually tossed down the stairs in the video generally cost thousands of dollars. Getting insurance to pay for repairs or replacement often takes months of arguing with the insurance company.
In the meantime, the wheelchair user may have to use a rental wheelchair that is not correctly fitted for them—possibly leading to medical complications—or may not have access to a replacement at all.
Several people pointed out how disrupting the loss or damage of a mobility aid can be in the user's life.
The university responded to the video with a statement that they are investigating the incident.
Twitter users were largely unsatisfied with the university's response, though, as there is clear video of the incident.
A GoFundMe campaign was started to raise money to replace or repair the wheelchair, with any extra money raised going to help others.
The campaign has since been closed after raising well over it's initial goal of $1500.
Sydney, the owner of the wheelchair, later posted about the situation on Twitter—thanking the staff at Sullivan's Pub for their help and saying she wants to use the money from the GoFundMe to help others who need it.
It is unclear how damaged Sydney's wheelchair was by it's trip down the stairs.
Mercyhurst University has since suspended all 3 of the men in the video, who were all determined to be student athletes, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Carson Briere released an apology for the incident, promising to "make up for this serious lack of judgement."
"I am deeply sorry for my behavior on Saturday."
"There is no excuse for my actions, and I will do whatever I can to make up for this serious lack of judgment."
His father—former NHL player and current Philadelphia Flyers interim general manager Daniel Briere—also issued a statement.
"I was shocked to see Carson's actions in the video that was shared on social media yesterday."
"They are inexcusable and run completely counter to our family's values on treating people with respect."
"Carson is very sorry and accepts full responsibility for his behavior."
The university has not yet announced what consequences Briere will face for the "lack of judgement."
