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TSA facing lawsuit after disabled teen physically restrained, injured
Saturday, 05 Jul, 2016
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The Transportation Security Administration is facing a lawsuit after a disabled teen was left ‘bloodied and bruised’ in a confrontation with TSA agents at Memphis Airport.
Hannah Cohen is partially deaf, blind and paralysed due to many years of brain cancer treatment.
She was traveling home to Chattanooga in June 2015 after hospital treatment when a security alarm went off at an airport checkpoint.
Disorientated by TSA agents’ attempts to search her, she was allegedly slammed to the ground causing facial cuts and bruising.
"The security personnel failed to recognize that she was confused because of her obvious disability and was unable to cooperate with the search," attorneys Kelly Pearson and William Hardwick said in the lawsuit filed against the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority and the TSA.
The family is seeking damages for pain, medical expenses, personal and emotional injury, and embarrassment for a ‘reasonable sum not exceeding $100,000 and costs.’
The teen was arrested and detained overnight but a charge alleging assault against a TSA agent was later dropped.
"She’s trying to get away from them but in the next instant, one of them had her down on the ground and hit her head on the floor. There was blood everywhere," mother Shirley Cohen told WREG-TV.
"Anybody can file anything, and we don’t comment on active litigation. Clearly there are additional facts in this matter, and we won’t comment until we address the litigation," Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority CEO Scott Brockman told The Commercial Appeal newspaper.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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