A routine boarding process turned tragic for one family, now at the center of a lawsuit accusing Allegiant Air of failing to follow basic safety procedures.
According to the New York Post, Hunter Adkins, 24, who had muscular dystrophy, was attempting to board a flight at Huntington Tri-State Airport on March 28, 2024, alongside his father and 9-year-old brother, when things allegedly went wrong.
The Las Vegas Review reported that in the complaint, the aircraft’s captain instructed crew members to speed up boarding, creating a rushed and chaotic environment.
The lawsuit claims that in that rush, required safety measures were ignored. Adkins was not provided with an additional assistant or the specialized narrow “aisle wheelchair” needed to safely board the aircraft.
Instead, an attendant attempted to maneuver him through the plane’s entry door using his motorized wheelchair.
That’s when disaster struck.
Adkins’ wheelchair allegedly tipped over, sending him face-first onto the ground, with the chair crashing down on top of him. The fall happened in front of his father and younger brother, according to the filing.
Unable to break his fall due to his condition, Adkins suffered severe injuries. He was taken to a hospital, where he died roughly 15 hours later from blunt force trauma.
The lawsuit argues that federal regulations required at least two attendants to assist him, but only one was provided.
It also alleges staff failed to use a proper wheelchair equipped with safety straps designed specifically for boarding aircraft.
“Despite being able to see how the wheelchair assistant was improperly boarding Hunter E. Adkins, crew members at the plane’s entrance did nothing to intervene to ensure Hunter E. Adkins’s safe boarding,” the complaint reads.
Family members are seeking a jury trial and damages exceeding $15,000.
In response, Allegiant Air declined to comment directly on the case but expressed sympathy.
“While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones affected by this heartbreaking situation,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to the Post.
