Air Canada Accused of Compelling Individual with Cerebral Palsy to Crawl Off Aircraft

Canadian officials are investigating after a man with a disability claimed he was forced to drag himself out of an Air Canada plane without any assistance. Rodney and Deanna Hodgins, a couple from Canada, said that the incident occurred during a flight from Vancouver to Las Vegas in August. Mrs. Hodgins accused the airline of failing her husband in every way. In an interview with the BBC, she explained that her husband, who suffers from spastic cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair, was not offered any help by the Air Canada crew to disembark the plane. Typically, airlines provide an aisle chair to assist passengers with limited mobility in safely exiting the aircraft after all other passengers have disembarked. However, Mrs. Hodgins stated that no such assistance was offered, and a crew member told them that Mr. Hodgins should make his way to the front of the plane by himself. Mrs. Hodgins said that as they struggled, cleaning staff, flight attendants, and the captain and co-captain observed their difficulties. She added that her husband experienced pain for several days while they were in Las Vegas. The couple had traveled there to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. The incident has received significant media coverage in Canada, and Air Canada has reportedly apologized to the couple. The Canadian Transportation Agency is also investigating the incident.