- The man claims American Airlines lost his suitcase containing his prosthetic leg.
- Michael Williams said the prosthesis cost him $26,650, but he did not receive any compensation.
- After the incident, Williams said she didn’t want to fly anymore.
A Missouri man claims American Airlines paid him only $600 for the loss of his suitcase and prosthetic leg.
Michael Williams, a disabled resident of St. Louis, Missouri, told Fox2Now: An airline lost a suitcase with aluminum legs on a flight from Indianapolis to Charlotte in 2020.. Williams’ custom-made device cost $26,650, he said in a report.
“You do this to someone with a disability and say, ‘Hey, we lost your stuff, but we’re not going to pay for it,'” Williams said on the way home to St. Louis. It’s not enough,” he said.
Williams said he checked in a suitcase labeled fragile before boarding an American Airlines flight. When Williams arrived at St. Louis International Airport, he waited for his suitcase in baggage claim, but it never arrived.
Williams said she had filed a claim with the airline for compensation for lost items, including a prosthetic leg. Fox2Now reports that he added that he was initially paid about $600 to replace the lost clothes in his suitcase.
Williams then contacted American Airlines to seek compensation for the missing leg. Williams said his representative told him the airline had denied the claim.
“I am not going to pay for my feet because I have neither evidence nor proof enough to pay for my feet,” Williams said, referring to a representative’s response.
According to American Airlines’ official website, passengers should provide a receipt with a reference number, a copy of their ticket receipt and baggage claim check, and a dated itemized statement to claim compensation for their lost suitcase. The original document must be submitted.
The website also says the airline will reimburse passengers. “A reasonable and necessary amount of time that is immediately needed while on the go without a bag.”
According to a post on Williams’ Instagram page, he underwent an amputation below the knee After surviving an accident in 2019.
“I felt like a weirdo. Everywhere I went people stared at me,” Williams wrote in the post, adding that he had to learn how to walk again with a prosthetic leg. rice field.
According to Fox2Now, Williams said she hired a lawyer to negotiate with the airline on her behalf for compensation for the lost device.
“I don’t want to fly anymore,” Williams told Fox2Now, adding that other mobility devices such as wheelchairs could be lost during the trip, jeopardizing coverage again. .
Williams wasn’t the only passenger to lose his suitcase while boarding American Airlines. According to Air Carrier Transport Authority data, Mishandled the most packages All U.S. airlines by 2022.
Williams and American Airlines did not immediately respond to insider requests for comment.