DISABLED MAN DIES AFTER BEING DROPPED FROM UNSAFE WHEELCHAIR WHILE BEING TRANSFERRED TO FLIGHT

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Disabled Man Dies After Being Dropped from 'Unsafe' Wheelchair by Allegiant Air Handler While Transported onto Flight, Lawsuit Claims

By Ingrid Vasquez  Published on March 25, 2026 01:04AM EDT

 

The family of an airline passenger with special needs is suing Allegiant Air, alleging that the airline is responsible for the young man's death.

 

Tony Adkins is suing the company in connection with an incident that he alleges occurred on March 28, 2024, in which his now-deceased son, Hunter Adkins, 24, who was a wheelchair user and lived with muscular dystrophy, fell from a wheelchair while boarding an Allegiant flight, according to the complaint obtained by PEOPLE.

 

Per the complaint, Hunter, Tony, and Hunter's 9-year-old brother Kaden were boarding a flight at Huntington Tri-State Airport in West Virginia at the time of the incident, which the complaint alleges was the result of the flight's captain "rushing the boarding process so that the plane could be on the runway and take off in 20 minutes."

 

The complaint further alleges that the airline's "wheelchair assistants," or staffers who were originally supposed to help transfer Hunter from his motorized wheelchair to an "aisle wheelchair" narrow enough for him to board the plane were "disbanded" to load luggage in order to "rush" the flight's take-off.

 

Aisle wheelchairs are required by federal regulations to safely board mobility-impaired passengers, and passengers being transported in aisle wheelchairs must be assisted by two crew members, the lawsuit claims, citing federal regulations.

 

Hunter was instead allegedly transferred to a wheelchair that lacked safety straps, which resulted in him falling from the wheelchair and landing face-first on the ground as an assistant pushed him up the ramp to the plane's door, the lawsuit claims.

 

The suit also claims that the wheelchair and the wheelchair assistant tipped over and landed on top of Hunter, who could not break the fall because of his disability. It alleges that Hunter was taken to a local hospital with "multiple blunt force injuries," where he died the next morning on March 29, 2024, approximately 15 hours later.

 

His father is seeking unspecified monetary damages in excess of $15,000 in connection with Hunter's alleged wrongful death, and alleging negligence in the airline's hiring and training of employees. He's additionally seeking damages related to emotional distress, given that he and his 9-year-old son witnessed the fatal incident.

 

A spokesperson with Allegiant Air told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones affected by this heartbreaking situation.”

 

In a statement shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Jim Murphy, an attorney representing the Adkins family, said, "In seeking justice for Hunter and his family we hope that we can have a positive impact for other people with disabilities."

 

"We know that this claim is not going to bring Hunter back but we are hopeful that this can help bring about change," Murphy's statement continued.

 

PEOPLE has reached out to Allegiant Air for comment.