When flying, everyone hopes that everything goes well. You dont want turbulence, lost luggage, or problems with row-mates. Landing in Orange County, California, just south of Los Angeles, one is solely thinking of sunlight and palm trees. Unfortunately for the worldly-known Louis Zaharias, his latest travel experience was purported a disaster.
According to the London Post, the elder Californian lost items on his United Airlines return flight to the John Wayne Airport. After the typical wait for luggage, Zaharias went to recover these missing things at United Air’s ‘missing items office.’ Assuming he followed normal procedure, he then collected paperwork and reached into his bag for an item.
Above the space where he reached down however, there was a ‘transparent’ danger.
Sadly, a plexiglass shelf was sticking out of the wall. As he rose up from his bag, Zaharias struck his head on it. The hit and possibly the impact of the subsequent fall gave him a concussion and a traumatic brain injury. He laid on the ground in pain in front of the airline’s office. According to reports from Zaharia’s legal representation, Nehora Law, employees of the company did not call for help as he struggled.
The senior Californian didn’t wait to find help however. He crawled, still in shock, to the sight of others. The proper help eventually arrived and he was treated. The overall situation caused him to vomit and lose control of his bladder.
This was a situation that could have been handled much better. The transparent shelf should have had proper guards or possibly something blocking people from standing beneath.
What’s even worse for many who’ve found the story is knowing his tragic past.
Missing Zaharias Children
The name may sound familiar to some because of the history of the missing Zaharias Children.
In 1987 his kids, Christopher (three years old) and Lisa (15 months old), were kidnapped by their mother, Susan. She took the kids and left southern California with them and they have not been found since.
There were multiple sightings in cities around the country after the incident. None of these reports ever led to anything more concrete for officials to work with. The trail has been cold for years now.
This leaves Louis Zaharais in a tragic position. He’s searching for two people that have no idea that they are even missing. What was already an uphill battle becomes nearly impossible because of this. It’s extremely unfortunate that the father of the missing Zaharias children had to endure the shameful situation at the airport.
United Airlines History of Abuse
Obviously airlines have customer service complaints constantly from travelers. Most of the time the general public will never hear about them, but sometimes a story is so noteworthy it becomes news.
This happened in 2017 when a passenger, David Dao, onboard a United Airlines flight was forcibly removed by security officers. The airline had overbooked the flight, and needed seats to transport employees to another airport.
First, they offered passengers money to give up their seat. After the offer was passed up by travelers, they selected people to unwillingly give up their spots. It is technically allowed for airlines to do this in the agreement customers make when purchasing their ticket. However, the public reaction to this did not go over well.
When Dao refused his seat, security officers were called to get him off the plane. In the ensuing struggle, he ended up with a concussion, a broken nose, and two missing teeth. Video of the incident went viral, as people were horrified by the treatment of a paying customer.
With a situation like this on their hands, United Airlines does not have a spotless record in the public eye.
The Louis Zaharias incident is a very different situation. He was not assaulted by anybody, but he still received significant injuries from his hit. All this took place in the airline’s office. Hopefully the parties can come to an agreement and the situation can be resolved.