The attorneys representing Dr. David Dao, who had been injured when Chicago Department of Aviation officers forcibly removed him from a United Airlines flight, have announced that they have reached a settlement with the airline. The terms remain undisclosed, though Dr. Dao’s attorneys called the settlement “amicable.”
On April 9th, Dr. Dao and his wife had been passengers on United Airlines Flight 3411, which was bound for Louisville from O’Hare Airport, when they and two other passengers were selected for removal to make room for four crew members. When Dr. Dao refused, Department of Aviation officers began forcibly removing him, causing him to strike his head on an armrest. Dr. Dao was hospitalized for several days for injuries that included a concussion, a broken nose, sinus damage, and two broken teeth.
After the cellphone video of the incident went viral on both traditional and social media platforms, the fallout for both the airline and the City of Chicago was significant. United Airlines has announced policy changes because of the incident, while the city is re-branding the Department of Aviation as a “security” force, removing the word “police” from all vehicles and uniforms.
United Airlines issued a report following the settlement which detailed the incident in question and laid out new policies for dealing with overbooked flights, such as increasing the amount of compensation offered to passengers to incentivize them to volunteer to be “bumped” from their flight.
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