Disabled influencer claims hand dislocated as American Airlines crew refused to help her

A disabled influencer has slammed American Airlines and alleged she was left with a dislocated and bruised hand after a flight attendant refused to help her put her bag in the overhead locker.

In a viral TikTok video, Tara Rule claimed she asked for assistance when she boarded the plane from Chicago to Los Angeles. The influencer has almost 500k followers and often speaks about life with a disability. She has a tissue connective disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

“The flight was super delayed. For those who don’t have a disability, you may not know. You go up and tell them if you need assistance. I have Ehlers-Danlos so I just need help putting my luggage in the overheard, which has never been an issue,” she said.

@tara_rule

@American Airlines HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO TEACH YOU THIS LESSON OLD MAN? #disability #americanairlines #ehlersdanlos

♬ Lacrimosa – Vienna Mozart Orchestra

However, the influencer claimed when she asked one of the cabin crew for assistance on this occasion, the flight attendant said: “You’re gonna have to ask a stranger. We don’t do in flight hospitality services anymore.”

Another flight attendant allegedly then told her the same thing, so she tried to put her bag up herself and claims this caused her wrist to dislocate. Ehlers-Danlos syndromes affect connective tissue and can cause loose, unstable joints that dislocate easily, the NHS explains. It can also cause the skin to bruise easily.

“I tried to do it myself and dislocated the joint in my hand and dropped my bag. Some old man had to put it up for me and I got really embarrassed and my hand is already bruising bad and I can’t pop the joint back in,” she said before showing her bruised hand. “When did they stop with accessibility services? I travelled two weeks ago and this wasn’t an issue.”

@tara_rule

@American Airlines (duffle bag is a pos not the suitcase the suitcase rocks) #disability #plane #americanairlines #acaa #ehlersdanlos

♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design

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In another video which has had more than 700,000 views, Tara showed that the bruising had got visibly worse. She claimed American Airlines’s customer services team have given her a refund.

However, Tara told the Daily Mail: “I don’t want a refund, I want [them] to fix the problem. They should have a trained, designated person assisting with mobility devices and luggage that you know won’t get hurt.”

The Tab has reached out to American Airlines for comment and has not received a response.

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