The Louisville doctor dragged off a\u00a0United Airlines flight \u00a0at O’Hare airport to make room for airline workers who wanted to board the plane has hired a high-profile Chicago attorney.<\/p>\n
Tom Demetrio of the\u00a0Corboy & Demetrio law firm that is routinely in the mix on high-profile personal injury and aviation cases, is part of Dr. David Dao’s new legal team.<\/p>\n
Dao also is represented by Stephen L. Golan\u00a0of Golan\u00a0Christie Taglia, who issued a brief statement on Dao’s behalf Tuesday \u2014 not long after United’s CEO issued an apology for the infamous incident seen around the world.<\/p>\n
According to the statement, Dao\u00a0is undergoing treatment in a Chicago hospital for his injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe family of Dr. Dao wants the world to know that they are very appreciative of the outpouring of prayers, concern and support they have received. Currently, they are focused only on Dr. Dao\u2019s medical care and treatment,\u201d said Golan.<\/p>\n
“Until Dr. Dao is released from the hospital, the family is asking for privacy and will not be making any statements to the media,” both attorneys said.<\/p>\n
Demetrio\u00a0is a partner at Corboy & Demetrio\u00a0and is a former president of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.<\/p>\n
He’s won multimillion dollar settlements in wrongful death cases. According to his bio, Demetrio\u00a0“has negotiated well over $1 billion in settlements and acquired the largest personal injury verdict ever upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court. He has never lost an appeal.”<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, United Airlines’\u00a0CEO Oscar Munoz offered his “deepest\u00a0apologies” to Dao.<\/p>\n
Munoz came under fire for his initial responses to the Sunday evening\u00a0incident, which was captured\u00a0in several videos that went viral on social media.<\/p>\n
Munoz had described the flight’s booted passengers as being “re-accommodate[d],” and\u00a0in a letter to employees, called Dao\u00a0“disruptive and belligerent”<\/a>\u00a0and said employees had “followed established procedures.”<\/p>\n But in a public apology shared by United on Tuesday, Munoz changed his tone,\u00a0describing the incident as “truly horrific” and saying United took responsibility.<\/p>\n “The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment. I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: my deepest apologies for what happened,” Munoz wrote in the statement. “Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard.”<\/p>\n United CEO Oscar Munoz: I\u2019m sorry. We will fix this.\u00a0https:\/\/t.co\/v8EPGsiDCi<\/a>pic.twitter.com\/eOPiYcagvo<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 United (@united)\u00a0April 11, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n Videos of the incident show officers pulling Dao\u00a0from his chair and dragging him out by his arms. His mouth, chin and cheek are smeared with blood.<\/p>\n The airline asked four passengers to leave the plane voluntarily because\u00a0four nonworking crew members needed to fly to Louisville, said\u00a0travelers who wrote about the incident online. When no one volunteered to give up a\u00a0seat, the airline said a computer would randomly select four people to be removed, a\u00a0passenger reported.<\/p>\n Dao was among those selected, but he told airline employees he was a doctor and needed to go home to see patients in the morning, according to passenger accounts.<\/p>\n That’s when he was dragged off\u00a0the plane, according to the passengers.<\/p>\n Other videos show Dao returning and walking up the plane’s aisle, saying, “I have to go home. I have to go home.”<\/p>\n Two videos show\u00a0Dao bleeding and\u00a0clutching\u00a0a curtain in the aisle while saying, “Just kill me. Kill me.”<\/p>\n RELATED:\u00a0New Video Shows Bloodied United Airlines Passenger Saying ‘Please Kill Me’<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n A Chicago Aviation Department security\u00a0officer who helped remove Dao\u00a0from the plane has been\u00a0suspended<\/a>\u00a0“pending a thorough review,” officials said. The security officer’s identity has not been released.<\/p>\n \u201cThe incident on United flight 3411 was not in accordance with our standard operating procedure, and the actions of the aviation security officer are obviously not condoned by the Department,\u201d said Karen Pride, a spokeswoman for the Aviation Department.<\/p>\n According to\u00a0United’s “Contract of Carriage,” or set of policies:\u00a0<\/a>“If a flight is oversold, no one may be denied boarding against his\/her will until UA or other carrier personnel first ask for volunteers who will give up their reservations willingly in exchange for compensation as determined by UA. If there are not enough volunteers, other passengers may be denied boarding involuntarily in accordance with UA\u2019s boarding priority.”<\/p>\n Those who are the least likely to be denied boarding or deplaned due to overbooking are children traveling alone and\u00a0passengers with disabilities. Other factors considered by the airline when deciding whom to remove include:\u00a0a “passenger\u2019s fare class, itinerary, status of frequent flyer program membership, and the time in which the passenger presents him\/herself for check-in without advanced seat assignment.<\/p>\n @united<\/a>\u00a0@CNN<\/a>\u00a0@FoxNews<\/a>\u00a0@WHAS11<\/a>\u00a0Man forcibly removed from plane somehow gets back on still bloody from being removed\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/njS3nC0pDl<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tyler Bridges (@Tyler_Bridges)\u00a0April 10, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n #flythefriendlyskies<\/a>\u00a0@united<\/a>\u00a0no words. This poor man!!\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/rn0rbeckwT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kaylyn Davis (@kaylyn_davis)\u00a0April 10, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n #flythefriendlyskies<\/a>\u00a0my husband was on that flight. Screw you United!!\u00a0@united<\/a>pic.twitter.com\/4EcxrMy5jZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kaylyn Davis (@kaylyn_davis)\u00a0April 10, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n #flythefriendlyskies<\/a>\u00a0@united<\/a>\u00a0my husband had to deboard because of the blood\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/AMywCaPlnC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kaylyn Davis (@kaylyn_davis)\u00a0April 10, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n United CEO response to United Express Flight 3411.\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/rF5gNIvVd0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 United (@united)\u00a0April 10, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n @united<\/a>\u00a0@CNN<\/a>\u00a0@NBCNews<\/a>pic.twitter.com\/gk7oPOSmQe<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Emily Powell (@Powell_Emily)\u00a0April 9, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n @WHAS11<\/a>\u00a0Kids were crying people are disturbed. Also after being removed the bloodied man somehow ran back on the plane repeating-I have to get home<\/p>\n \u2014 Tyler Bridges (@Tyler_Bridges)\u00a0April 10, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n @United<\/a>\u00a0overbook\u00a0#flight3411<\/a>\u00a0and decided to force random passengers off the plane. Here’s how they did it:\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/QfefM8X2cW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jayse D. Anspach (@JayseDavid)\u00a0April 10, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n @USAnonymous<\/a>\u00a0Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked. After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave ^MD<\/p>\n \u2014 United (@united)\u00a0April 10, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Louisville doctor dragged off a\u00a0United Airlines flight \u00a0at O’Hare airport to make room for airline workers who wanted to board the plane has hired a high-profile Chicago attorney. Tom Demetrio of the\u00a0Corboy & Demetrio law firm that is routinely in the mix on high-profile personal injury and aviation cases, is part of Dr. David … Continue reading United Passenger Dragged Off Plane Hires Prominent Chicago Lawyer<\/span>