Southwest Airlines has been accused of cruel treatment against a five-year-old disabled girl – just days after a nurse said she was booted from a flight for being disfigured.
Janey Sprouse-Cadenas, from Colorado Springs, says she was questioned about her daughter Lucy’s disability as she was trying to pre-board.
The mother and daughter reportedly took four flights to a medical conference in Boston and were questioned about the significance of Lucy’s illness in multiple cities.
‘I shouldn’t have to hold a big sign and shout it from the rooftops of what’s wrong with my daughter for her to get the help and support that she needs,’ Janey told Fox21.
Lucy has a rare neurological disorder that requires extensive care but is not physically visible. The condition can cause life-threatening seizures and she went through a functional hemispherectomy earlier this year to try to prevent them.
Sprouse-Cadenas said employees questioned her about why Lucy needed pre-boarding and what qualified her for it.
Fox21 noted that Southwest has a policy against asking that kind of question.
Sprouse-Cadenas said the treatment was so bad that other employees approached her to suggest that she make a complaint.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Southwest Airlines for comment on this story.
The airline told Fox21 in a statement: ‘We always strive to meet our customers’ standards.
‘Our teams will look into this matter, and address any irregularities directly with the customer.’
The alleged incident comes shortly after a California nurse claimed Southwest Airlines kicked her off a flight because of non-cancerous tumors that grow on her face and body.
Briana Solari was booted off a flight from Burbank-Hollywood Airport in LA to her home in Sacramento shortly after surgery to reduce the growths. The procedure left her with visible red scarring.
Solari’s tumors are caused by condition called neurofibromatosis (NF) that makes the growths appear over nerve-endings.
She told KCRA that a Southwest flight attendant strutted up to her after she’d boarded and asked her to come back to the gate.
‘I exited the airplane, and they said, “Well, there’s been some concerns. Do you have any, you know, any medical conditions, diseases?” And I said, “No, I had surgery.”
‘That’s really none of their business what’s going on, but I said, “No, I had surgery,” and they said, “Okay,” so then he got on the telephone with somebody.’
Solari says the flight attendant called a Southwest-contracted doctor who she’d never been examined by.
Southwest staff refused to let her speak to the medic to try and explain her condition, Solari said.
Southwest gave Solari a $500 flight voucher and $45 meal voucher.
But she was so disgusted by the experience that she has vowed never to set foot on one of their planes again. She also plans to sue.