Disabled Man Dies After Wheelchair Incident on Allegiant Air Flight

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The family of 24-year-old Hunter Adkins, who lived with muscular dystrophy and used a wheelchair, has filed a lawsuit against Allegiant Travel Company and Allegiant Air. The lawsuit alleges that Adkins died after falling from a wheelchair that lacked safety straps while being transferred to an Allegiant Air flight in 2024. The complaint claims the airline's staff rushed the boarding process and improperly assisted Adkins, leading to the fatal incident.

Why it matters

This case highlights the importance of proper accessibility and safety protocols for passengers with disabilities when boarding flights. The lawsuit alleges Allegiant failed to follow federal regulations for assisting passengers in wheelchairs, leading to a tragic outcome.

The details

According to the lawsuit, Adkins, his father Tony, and 9-year-old brother were boarding an Allegiant flight at Huntington Tri-State Airport in West Virginia on March 28, 2024. The complaint alleges the flight's captain "rushed the boarding process" so the plane could take off within 20 minutes. It claims the "wheelchair assistants" who were supposed to help transfer Adkins from his motorized wheelchair to an "aisle wheelchair" were "disbanded" to load luggage, instead of properly assisting Adkins. Adkins was then allegedly transferred to a wheelchair without safety straps, causing him to fall face-first to the ground as an assistant pushed him up the ramp. The lawsuit states Adkins suffered "multiple blunt force injuries" and died the next morning at a local hospital.

• On March 28, 2024, the incident occurred while Adkins was boarding an Allegiant Air flight at Huntington Tri-State Airport.
• Adkins died on March 29, 2024, approximately 15 hours after the incident.

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on the Adkins family's lawsuit seeking unspecified monetary damages in excess of $15,000 from Allegiant Travel Company and Allegiant Air.