Blind woman kicked off plane for being 'drunk'

ky3.com

A blind woman has said she was wrongly kicked off a plane after crew believed her to be intoxicated and 'disruptive'.

Laurie Reeves Goss had saved up for two years to be able to afford the flight to California from Springfield, Missouri, to see her grandchildren.

She says after using her cane to board the Allegiant flight to LA, she asked a flight attendant to guide her to the toilet.

Laurie told ky3.com: "She said, you need to put that away! And I said, I will after I am seated, but I'm going to the bathroom and I've got to get back to my seat."

Laurie also offered a fellow passenger to swap seats with her, as she had a window seat and would not be able to take advantage of the views.

She says moments after they swapped a crew member approached and asked: "Miss Reeves, do you have your cane?

"And I said, yes, I do. It's right here in my sheath. And he says, can you unbuckle your seat belt and come with me?"

Laurie was taken off the plane and put in a wheelchair, which she says she was demeaned by. She then had to wait two hours for her ride back home.

Jessica Wheeler, an Allegiant spokesperson, told ky3.com: "The passenger was being disruptive to the other passengers around her, and unfortunately, I do not have specific details about exactly what disruptive means.

"When flight attendants tried to address her, she appeared extremely intoxicated and smelled of alcohol. She was combative to the flight attendants, and it was at that point that the flight attendants made the judgement call to remove her from the flight."

Laurie added: "I didn't understand what the heck I done wrong. I never raised my voice. I never cursed."

She says she bought two drinks at the airport bar during her two-hour wait, but claims she was never combative or drunk. "I'm imbalanced, because I have one eye worse than the other. I did not feel intoxicated at all."

Allegiant has refunded Laurie's flight money, but she says that is not enough after the ordeal she went through.

Read more and see the video at ky3.com.

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