THE LOOP — The doctor who was dragged off a United Airlines airplane has reached a settlement with the airline, his lawyers said.
Dr. David Dao's lawyers announced the settlement on Thursday, though they said the amount the doctor would receive would "remain confidental." The settlement does not include any claims Dao may bring against the city's Aviation Department officers involved in the incident or the City of Chicago.
The announcement comes a day after United said it would offer as much as $10,000 for passengers who get bumped off flights.
Dao was on his way home from O'Hare to Louisville on April 9 when he was ordered off the plane to make room for United contracted pilots. When he refused, saying he had appointments with patients he had to keep, Aviation Department officers dragged him off.
Dao's lawyer said the doctor lost his two front teeth, had his nose broken, his sinuses damaged and suffered a concussion during the incident. He said Dao would need reconstructive surgery.
Fellow passengers shot videos of the incident that went viral, spurring international criticism of the airline and security agents.
The videos show officers pulling Dao, bleeding, from his plane seat and dragging him by his arms down the plane's aisle. Other videos show Dao jogging up and down the plane's aisle and leaning against a curtain, bleeding and saying, "Please kill me."
#flythefriendlyskies @united no words. This poor man!! pic.twitter.com/rn0rbeckwT
— Kaylyn Davis (@kaylyn_davis) April 10, 2017
United's CEO, Oscar Munoz, also faced criticism after the incident when he said Dao had been "disruptive and belligerent" and the airline's crew "followed procedures" during the incident.
Later, Munoz apologized and described the incident as "truly horrific."
Dao's lawyers said Munoz had done "the right thing" while announcing the settlement.
"United has taken full responsibility for what happened on Flight 3411, without attempting to blame others, including the City of Chicago," attorney Thomas Demetrio said in a news release. "For this acceptance of corporate accountability, United is to be applauded."
Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans also apologized for what happened during an emergency hearing of the City Council Aviation Committee. Evans said Aviation security officers would no longer wear uniforms that used the word "police" and they'd been told to identify themselves as "security" even before the incident.
“I want to express our extreme regret for the actions of our officers," Evans said.
The officers told supervisors they used "minimal but necessary" force when removing Dao, according to documents obtained by DNAinfo.
@united @CNN @FoxNews @WHAS11 Man forcibly removed from plane somehow gets back on still bloody from being removed pic.twitter.com/njS3nC0pDl
— Tyler Bridges (@Tyler_Bridges) April 10, 2017
