United Airlines Scorpion Scandal: Scorpion Stings Man on United Flight in New Controversy
The public perception issues for United Airlines just keep on coming this month as news of a passenger reportedly stung by a scorpion aboard their flight from Texas surfaces. This incident comes on the heels of the raging controversy of David Dao having been dragged off an overbooked United Airlines flight on Sunday.
Passenger Richard Bell was stung while on a flight from Houston to Calgary, the airline said in a statement made to the press. According to United Airlines, the flight crew got in touch with a MedLink physician immediately. The physician provided remote guidance from a ground location, and assessed that the sting was not dangerous enough to be life threatening, according to ABC News.
Medical staff was also waiting on the ground as the plane touched down in Calgary, the airline added. United Airlines mentioned in their statement that their representatives are currently "reaching out to the customer to apologize and discuss the matter."
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According to the man who was stung, the scorpion looks to have dropped on his head from what could be the overhead storage bin, before he got stung. The scorpion stung him under the fingernail, Bell said to CBS News through a Skype interview.
"We were on the plane about an hour, having dinner, and then something fell on my head, so I grabbed it. I was hanging onto it," Bell said in the online interview. "It was lucky that it hit my nail more than my skin I think, so maybe my thumbnail saved me a little bit."
United has already apologized and offered Bell and his wife credit for future flights. The airline employees have also checked the aircraft for more scorpions. As for the scorpion who stung Bell, the arachnid has been killed and disposed of, according to CBS.
