Oh man, as if the last few weeks could get any worse for United... In this case I'd argue it's not United's fault, but it's just very bad luck that this is happening on one of their flights (or maybe karma). 😉 This past Sunday (the same day United's infamous "dragging" happened) a Canadian couple,…
Continue reading: United’s Very Bad Week: Scorpion Falls From Overhead Bin And Stings Passenger
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Hey, Oscar as much as said "they'd find a better way than a good squad to get reluctant passengers out of their seats".
If $800 of useless United chits won't do it, a scorpion almost certainly will.
why wouldn't it be United's fault, imagine a stray dog somehow enters a hotel you're staying at, got up a few floors and finds you waiting in front of the elevator, he runs towards you and bite your leg, whose fault would it be? dog's? yours? or maybe hotel's, just maybe.
I don't understand why it's not United's fault. It happened on their aircraft. Aren't they responsible for ensuring the plane is safe?
@ ns @ Kai -- I'm not sure what they could have done to prevent it? I assume they didn't intentionally put it on the plane, so it's likely it was brought on by a passenger, either in their luggage, or something. I don't think there was any real negligence here.
Hm definitely not UA's fault methinks. The passenger who brought it (if anyone) was definitely the one who should be held responsible. Them as well as TSA. The Canadian couple were transiting from Mexico. So how on earth did both airport authorities in Mexico AND Houston miss a live scorpion inside someone's carry-on?
Looks like United found a new way to get involuntary passengers to leave the plane am I right Ben?
@Lucky - "I don’t think there was any real negligence here." , really?
The negligence is ofcourse on the Airlines again, they HAVE TO CHECK and CLEAN EVERY SPACE OF THE AIRPLANE EVERY TIME before boarding passengers . We know they don't do that always in order to save costs but its still their job to do so and ensure the safety of paying passengers.
If the guy was seriously injured you think the airline is not liable to him or his loved ones ?
Time for a blog name change? One Repost of a United Story Every Hour seems to be available on Boarding Area
I don't think UA is responsible here. We are not talking about pests like rats or insect infestation due to the uncleanliness of the cabin. This is a scorpion that hitchhiked on someone else's carryon, and fell on the victim. Suppose you get a stowaway fly, mosquito, or bug of some kind, would you also blame the carrier for that?
I can't see that it is directly attributable to UA's negligence although whether there is any strict liability I don't know. I would have thought that there was some contributory negligence on the part of the man when he picked it up for the second time.... Only vaguely news-worthy due to the ongoing UA misery.
How do people know this came on with a passenger's luggage? With all the security that baggage needs to go through I am deeply skeptical that the owner of the luggage and security are going to miss a frickin scorpion crawling around the outside of a piece of luggage. Seems more likely the scorpion got on via airport staff/cleaning crews/mechanics or others carrying bags that are not going through security shortly before boarding. In that case then United does have responsibility because they didn't check the plane properly before boarding. No way to really tell.
@Bill-TSA misses 95% of weapons on inspections, and you think they are going to catch a scorpion?
Much as I detest United, this incident is definitely not their fault. I guess when it rains it pours... Incidentally, certain newspapers (New York Post, Daily Mail UK, for example) are trying to vilify Dr. Dao --- as if indiscretions of his past are relevant to the horrific treatment he got at the hands of United! Anyway, he's got two good lawyers working for him.
Hell, I was in AZ for a few days, I was at my mother's house which is in a small town. Set my carryon in the guest bedroom right after I arrived. That evening when I went to get my personal hygiene stuff to take a shower, sure as shit, in my carryon, a bark scorpion (they have a particularly nasty venom btw), two inches long, was crawling out. I grabbed a magazine to brush it on the floor then killed it.
Not surprised this happens, and surprised it hasn't occurred more often. In this case it certainly is not United's fault, as much as they are detested.
To echo what a couple others said, animals are venomous, not poisonous, plants are poisonous.