Disabled man slams Qantas after they damaged his wheelchair
<p>An Australian man has called out Qantas for damaging his wheelchair during a flight, and then offering him a slim compensation package that wouldn't cover the cost of the repair. </p>
<p>Queensland wheelchair athlete Timothy Lachlan was travelling from the USA to Sydney when he claims Qantas luggage handlers broke his wheelchair as it was being loaded onto the plane. </p>
<p>Like many Australians living with a disability, Lachlan described his wheelchair as "his legs".</p>
<p>"This wheelchair is basically my legs — Qantas has basically broken my legs," he told <em>7News</em> of the custom chair he's owned for more than a decade.</p>
<p>"If you go up the slightest incline, the chair just tips back."</p>
<p>Lachlan now can no longer use the chair and says the saga has cost him work as an occupational therapist. He's currently borrowing a friend's chair to get around and says though he did try to fix his chair, he wasn't able due to the extent of the damage.</p>
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<p>He was then locked in a bitter compensation battle with the airline for several months, which resulted in Lachlan being offered a mere $3,500, which he claims won't "even cover a set of wheels", let alone repair the entire chair. </p>
<p>As part of the settlement agreement, which was described by Lachlan as a "signed confidential settlement", he claims he was forced to stay quiet about the amount he was offered by the airline. </p>
<p>However, instead of staying quiet, he decided to do the opposite and call out the airline, which has taken a large hit to its reputation in recent years.</p>
<p>In a statement provided to <em><a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/qantas-offers-disabled-aussie-3500-to-stay-quiet-after-damaging-his-wheelchair-225833471.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo News Australia</a></em>, a Qantas spokesperson said they "sincerely apologise to Mr Lachlan for the damage caused to his wheelchair".</p>
<p>"We have offered him compensation and are waiting to hear back," a spokesperson said.</p>
<p>Lachlan said he would like the incident to serve as a reminder to Qantas, and airlines in general, to be more respectful when it comes to transporting mobility aids.</p>
<p>"I am more than happy to meet with them, I invite the CEO of Qantas to jump in this chair and tell me it doesn't need to be replaced," he said.</p>
<p><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p>