An airport baggage handler in the U.S. is suing Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) after he suffered “permanent and disabling” shoulder injuries when the team raced to fly out after a game, with one member of the equipment staff allegedly rushing gear into the plane.

Kenneth Osborne filed suit earlier this month in St. Clair County, Ill., across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Mo., where the Leafs fell 3-0 to the Blues in a game on Jan. 17, 2015.

Osborne, working for Jet Aviation, was helping load the Leafs charter.

According to the complaint against MLSE, Osborne and his colleagues were using a conveyor belt — one controlled by a lever on the ground — to load the plane. The Leafs equipment worker, who is not named in the suit, is alleged to have “repeatedly operated the lever in an attempt to speed up the loading operation,” despite at least one warning not to interfere.

With Osborne inside the aircraft, discussing how best to continue loading the team’s gear, the Leafs employee allegedly “operated the belt loader without permission,” and that he, without warning, “turned the belt loader lever to full speed, causing equipment crates to enter the aircraft at a high rate of speed.”

One of the crates allegedly struck Osborne, injuring his right shoulder.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.

According to the suit filed Jan. 8, he suffered “severe permanent and disabling injuries” that will lead to “great physical pain and suffering” in the future.

Osborne “has in the past and will in the future be required to expend large sums of money securing hospital and medical treatment for his injuries,” according to the claim.

Dave Haggith, a spokesman with MLSE, declined to comment Monday. In an email to the Star, he said the lawsuit had not yet been formally served to MLSE.

Damages have not been specified.

Matthew R. Chapman, the lawyer representing Osborne, said Monday that his client has required “a substantial rotator cuff repair,” as well as “substantial post-surgery physical therapy, with medical bills with an approximate figure of about $100,000.”

Chapman said no other injuries were reported the night the Leafs left town. He said Osborne’s employer accommodated “light duty” following the injury.

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