Lawyer settles lawsuit against TSA

by Lisa Simeone on July 3, 2012

In a rare victory for a citizen who’s been injured by the TSA, a Washington state attorney settled a lawsuit against the agency for $225,000. Considering the injuries the man suffered, I’d say the TSA got off easy.

County prosecutor Tim Rasmussen, who walks with a cane as a result of childhood polio, was injured in September 2008 at the Spokane International Airport. When the TSA took away his cane and instructed him to sit, he did so — only the chair behind him into which he was to sit had been pulled away.

(Any bets on whether this was an accident or an attempted “joke” by the TSA?)

As a result, Rasmussen fell back, suffering hip and back injuries, for which he had to have surgery. He filed suit against the TSA in 2010 seeking $1 million dollars in damages. It’s taken all this time to reach a settlement.

Since the accident, says Rasmussen, he’s mostly confined to a wheelchair. And we all know how the TSA treats wheelchairs.

(Photo: Flickr Creative Commons/man pikin)

Tagged as: abuse, Airport, crime, DHS, disabilities, handicapped, lawsuit, Security, Travel, TSA, washington

  • Dazymae

    How disgusting and heinous to cause a disabled person to become injured. The settlement is a shame and disgrace too. He’s now in a wheelchair and he only gets $225,000? That’s a pittance for having your quality of life so seriously impaired.

    A TSA bozo in Phoenix was bulllying my husband once a few years ago. My husband has MS, and the blue shirt was pushing him an djerking him around.

    • Dazymae

      Disqus didn’t let me finish or correct my typos. The bozo was pushing and jerking my husband. I was terrified that he would knock my husband down. I started walking over to ask him to be a little more gentle, and the other bozos freaked out. They started screaming at me. In a calm voice, I asked the screener nearest me to go over and tell him that my husband is fragile and ask him to be more gentle. She refused to do this. Fortunately, my husband was not injured.

      • cjr001

        It’s sad that our luggage generally gets treated better than we do.

      • Publius

        Dazymae, should such an event happen again, yell “law enforcement!” loud enough for any police officers on the scene to respond. If that doesn’t work, dial 911 and report an assault in progress. Each response is entirely in keeping with your rights. Do not be afraid or the bullying will only get worse.

        • Dazymae

          Actually, we do not fly anymore. We don’t feel we can risk it. My husband is fragile, and I am a child sexual assault survivor. Every time I imagine going to the airport, I start hyperventilating. I can’t cope with the fear and uncertainty.

          Interestingly enough, I didn’t have any problem traveling after 911.

  • jim6555

    The settlement should have been for $225 million. The lawyer should have been able to subpoena the TSA tapes of the incident. After a jury saw that the chair was pulled away, the sky would be the limit for punitive damages.

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