START
START TO
START TO FALL FACE FIRST... YOU USE YOUR ARMS AND HANDS TO BREAK THE FALL.
BUT A LOCAL DISABLED WOMAN CAN'T
DO THAT.. AND
SAYS SHE FOUND HERSELF BLEEDING
ON AN AIRPLANE FLOOR
AND BLAMES THE AIRLINE.
SHE ENDED UP WITH STITCHES... NO
APOLOGY FROM THE AIRLINE....
INSTEAD, SHE BELIEVES, SOME
VICTIM BLAMING
.. UNTIL THE KVUE DEFENDERS GOT
INVOLVED.
1:42.. I CAN'T WALK..
SETBACKS.... FOR SURE...
1:45.. I CAN'T MOVE MY
EXTREMITIES.
RIGHT FROM THE GET-GO.
1:04.. I WAS BORN PREMATURELY.
22:33. MOM: SHE HAD A BLEED IN
HER BRAIN THE THIRD
DAY OF HER LIFE. 3
1:38.. I'M A SPASTIC
QUADRIPLEGIC.
25:13.. MOM: SHE PROBABLY HAS
THE MENTAL CAPACITY OF A
16, 17 YEAR OLD. 3
BUT MOM SAYS.. DON'T YOU DARE
FEEL SORRY FOR HUNTER ADKINS.
26:30.. ABSOLUTELY NOT. HUNTER
HAS A FULLER
LIFE
LIFE THAN
LIFE THAN 99 PERCENT OF THE ABLE BODIED PEOPLE I KNOW. 6
FROM BIKE RIDING, BEAUTY PAGENTS
AND INDOOR
SKYDIVING.. SHE'S HARD TO KEEP
UP WITH.
ON THIS DAY, IT'S HORSEBACK
RIDING.... BUT JUST A FEW
WEEKS AGO...
3:24.. I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS
TRIP EVERY YEAR
THE 38 YEAR OLD QUADRIPLEGIC WAS
FLYING OFF
TO THE MOUNTAINS TO SNOW SKI...
SOMETHING
SOMETHING
SHE'S
SHE'S DONE FOR NEARLY 3 DECADES NEVER A PROBLEM.. UNTIL THIS YEAR...
6:22.. OH NO, OH NO. 2
WHEN
WHEN THIS
WHEN THIS HAPPENED. SOME KIND OF HEAD INJURY PICS THE BLOODY RESULT OF A
FACE-FIRST DIVE ONTO THE
FLOOR OF AN AMERICAN AIRLINES
PLANE.
7:50... I WOULD HAVE CRIED HAD I
NOT BEEN IN SHOCK.
IT HAPPENED AS HUNTER, HER
CARETAKER AND A GROUP WERE
HEADING FROM AUSTIN TO COLORADO
FOR THEIR ANNUAL
SKI TRIP..
WHEN THEY SWITCHED PLANES IN
DALLAS, AN
AMERICAN AIRLINES CREW WAS
MOVING HUNTER TO HER
SEAT.
4:49.. I TOLD THEM THREE OR FOUR
TIMES, DON'T LET ME
GO, DON'T LET ME GO. I CANNOT
CATCH MYSELF. 6
6:32.. RUSH: AND YOU MADE IT
VERY CLEAR THAT THEY
NEEDED TO BUCKLE YOU IN?
YES, YES. I DID.
BUT SHE SAYS, THEY PLACED HER IN
THE SEAT AND LET GO..
5:20.. I LEAD WITH MY HEAD.
5:22. AND I TOPPLED TO THE
FLOOR.
SHE WAS TERRIFIED AND
EMBARRASSED.
7:16.. NO ONE WANTS TO FALL ON
THEIR FACE AND THEN GET
WEIRD LOOKS AND
BE HUMILIATED. 11
MOM WASN'T THERE BUT WHEN SHE
HEARD..
21:26.. OH, I'M SORT OF THE
GRIZZLY BEAR OR AS MY
CHILDREN REFER TO ME AS THEIR
NUCLEAR BUTTON.
CONSIDER THE BUTTON PUSHED.
BECKY ADKINS RAISED
HELL WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES.
AMERICAN AIRLINES INVESTIGATED..
AND EMAILED
BECKY THE FINDINGS... STATING
HUNTER
"... ATTEMPTED TO SELF-
TRANSFER".. MOVE HERSELF..
"WHEN
"WHEN SHE
"WHEN SHE TOPPLED FORWARD..." IT ADDED, THE AMERICAN AIRLINES' TEAM.. "DID NOT RECALL
ANY COMMUNICATION ABOUT NOT
LETTING HER GO
UNTIL THE SEAT BELT WAS
FASTENED."
NO APOLOGY BUT, FOR HER TROUBLE,
THE AIRLINE DID GIVE
HER A $200 VOUCHER TO USE FOR
ANOTHER
AMERICAN AIRLINES FIGHT.
9:50.. THAT'S JUST A JOKE,
AND INSULTING TO HUNTER FOR A
COUPLE OF REASONS... ONE,
AS A QUADRIPLEGIC, SHE ISN'T
ABLE TO MOVE
HERSELF.
9:52.. I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT I
CAN'T DO IT. NEVER HAVE
BEEN MY ENTIRE LIFE AND NEVER
WILL BE. 6 4
AS FOR NOT SPEAKING UP..
FOR SEVERAL YEARS, SHE'S SAT ON
A GOVERNOR-
APPOINTED COMMITTEE ADVOCATING
FOR PEOPLE
WITH DISABILIES.
30:52.. RUSH: SO ARE THEY MAKING
THAT
THAT UP?
THAT UP? MOM: THEY'RE MAKING THAT UP. 3 FOUR WITNESSES, ALSO GOING ON THE TRIP..
WROTE STATEMENTS BACKING UP
HUNTER'S
ACCOUNT
HUNTER'S ACCOUNT 1:18:13.. HUNTER SAYS, 'DON'T
LET ME GO, DON'T LET ME GO'.
INCLUDING.. JULIE MALOUKIS
1:18:21.. THE FEMALE EMPLOYEE
PUTS
PUTS HER
PUTS HER IN THE SEAT AND LETS HER GO. 1:18:40.. AND THERE WAS THIS
LOUD THUD AND I EVEN FELT IT, IT
VIBRATED. THAT'S HOW HARD SHE
HIT. 5
1:20:14..
HER BODY JUST
SPRINGS FORWARD. 2
1:16:02. OH YEAH, IT WAS LIKE
.
BECKY CONTINUED TO PRESS THE
AIRLINE. SO DID
I.
AMERICAN DIDN'T RESPOND TO MY
REPEATED REQUESTS FOR
AN ON CAMERA INTERVIEW.. BUT
SENT ME THIS EMAIL STATING
THE AIRLINE 'SINCRELY
APOLOGIZES' FOR WHAT
HUNTER WENT THROUGH.. THEY'RE
INVESTIGATING
WHAT HAPPENED..... AND REFUNDING
THE AIRFARE
FOR BOTH HUNTER AND HER
CARETAKER..
THE AIRLINE WILL ALSO TAKE CARE
OF HUNTER'S
MEDICAL BILLS.
1:59.. RUSH: I'M GLAD THAT WE
WERE ABLE TO HELP IN SOME
SMALL WAY. 4
2:07. IT'S NOT A SMALL WAY. THIS
WAS A HUGE WAY. 2
1:02.. I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH
FOR SHINING A LIGHT
ON
ON THIS
ON THIS ISSUE. 7 MIKE TAG: PRE-RECORDED: ABOUT THAT SKI TRIP... IT
HAPPENED. EMS CLEARED
HUNTER TO FLY.. SO SHE GOT
STITCHES IN COLORADO.. AND
HIT THE SLOPES.
HUNTER TELLS ME SHE PLANS TO USE
HER POSITION ON
THAT STATE COMMITTEE TO ADVOCATE
FOR BETTER
HANDLING OF PEOPLE WITH
DISABILIES WITH ALL AIRLINES.
IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE YOU'D LIKE
THE KVUE DEFENDERS TO
INVESTIGATE SEND US AN EMAIL AT
DEFENDERS@KV
UE.COM OR GIVE US A CALL AT
512-533-2231.
512-533-2231.