United employee appears to push flier to ground in video from 2015

Ben Mutzabaugh | USA TODAY

United Airlines is likely to find itself on the defensive again after yet another video that appears to show a confrontation involving one of the carrier’s passengers.

That latest video is about two years old, but it has surfaced this week after the passenger in it has filed a $1 million lawsuit against United for actions in the video.

It comes at a difficult time for United, only about two months after the passenger-dragging incident with passenger Dr. David Dao plunged the company into a global public relations crisis in April.

That episode put United and other airlines in the spotlight for how passengers are treated amid what many believe is an increasingly hectic and stressful flying experience. A number of videos across numerous airlines have since drawn scrutiny since the Flight 3411 incident with Dr. Dao on April 9.

TODAY IN THE SKY: United Airlines pledges new protections for fliers in wake of passenger-dragging incident | United Airlines is making these 10 customer-service policy changes

The latest video to surface comes from Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport, where security video footage shows an apparent confrontation between a United Airlines employee and a customer since identified as then-71-year-old Ronald Tigner – the man that’s now suing the carrier. The story was first reported by Houston NBC affiliate KPRC TV.

In the video obtained by the station, Tigner appears to be shoved to the ground by the United employee after an apparent argument over a boarding pass, according to William Hoke -- Tigner’s attorney.

After falling to the ground, Tigner hit his head on the ground and was knocked unconscious, according to the attorney. Tigner can be seen lying motionless on the ground near a United ticket counter. United employees can be seen in the video, though none come to the aid of the man. About a minute into the footage, a woman described by Tinger’s attorney as a good Samaritan comes to the man’s side and requests someone call 911.

TODAY IN THE SKY: The fleet and hubs of United Airlines, by the numbers (story continues below)

KPRC also obtained audio of the 911 call that ensued in July 2015. In it, a person identified as a United employee calls to report the incident in the Terminal C ticket lobby. During the call, the employee answers “no” when the dispatcher asks the employee if he knows how the man fell down.

"This is just one of the most inhumane things I've ever seen in my life," attorney Hoke said while talking to KPRC about the lawsuit that's been filed on behalf of his client Tigner.

"It's astonishing," Hoke added about the incident – and about the allegation the United employees did nothing to help after the man fell. "It's outrageous."

Now, Tigner is suing United Airlines for more than $1 million, with Hoke saying the goal is to bring an end to such incidents.

"We want people to come forward who've been treated just like Mr. Tigner and like Dr. Dao, any of the other people who've flown United and been treated this way, because this has to stop," Hoke said to KPRC.

United acknowledged the incident in a statement to USA TODAY's Today in the Sky blog, adding that the employee allegedly involved in the incident no longer is an employee of the carrier.

“We have seen the video from 2015 that shows completely unacceptable behavior by a United employee," United said in the statement. "This employee was terminated from United in August 2015 following the incident. The conduct shown here does not reflect our values or our commitment to treat all of our customers with respect and dignity. We are taking a thorough look into what happened here and reaching out to our customer to profusely apologize for what occurred and to make this right.”