Model hits out at Delta airlines for ‘breaking her wheelchair’ and leaving her stranded

‘This is a systemic issue with airlines and it really really needs to change’

Bri Scaleese talking about Delta Airlines breaking her wheelchair (Bri Scaleese/Instagram)

Model and disability advocate Bri Scaleese has shared a TikTok video claiming that Delta Airlines broke her wheelchair, just weeks after her friend was involved in a similar incident that also went viral online.

Scaleese did not provide details of the Delta flight she took, but said she found her wheelchair was damaged beyond repair.

Airline protocols don’t allow wheelchair users to sit in them during flights, meaning the wheelchair has to be transported in the hold along with passengers’ baggage. But this comes with an inherent risk of damage and mishandling – according to the Washington Post, US airlines reported 15,000 wheelchairs damaged or lost in transit in just the past three years.

Scaleese said in her TikTok video that there would be no quick fix for her own situation. “When I spoke to the representative from the wheelchair repair company they said, ‘You know this will take a really long time to replace.’

“So, today my freedom and independence was taken away,” she said. “I don’t know how I’m gonna live my life.”

Following the incident, the US airline has faced a backlash online. One user wrote on Twitter: “This week’s post about @Delta’s abuse comes from @briscalesse on TikTok whose wheelchair was irreparably damaged and was told that a replacement is not happening any time soon. Wheelchairs are an extension of ones body. This is inhumane.”

“What’s up with breaking the wheelchair of @BriScalesse? You need to make this right!!!! Why do you let this insanity keep happening??? DO BETTER!” wrote another person.

This isn’t the first time Scaleese has seen been involved in an incident like this.

Around six weeks ago, the model also posted a video of the same airline breaking her friend Gabrielle deFiebre’s wheelchair.

She told Buzzfeed: “The wheel looked like it was hanging, and I immediately turned away because I didn’t want her to see my literal panic. When I turned back around, I just wheeled over to her and held her and all three of us traveling together cried. It was so painful to see her realise that her literal way of living life was broken.”

She added: “I thought recording the moment, for our friends, or to send to the airline, or maybe even for the internet, could be important [for people] to see the reality of what flying is like for many wheelchair users.”

In a follow-up video on Instagram, Scaleese thanked everyone who offered to help and shared the news that she will be receiving an exact replica of her broken wheelchair and that Delta Airlines will be covering the cost of the replacement.

Bri Scaleese talking about Delta Airlines breaking her wheelchair (Bri Scaleese/ Instagram)

“This should never happen to any of us, this should never happen to anyone. This is a systemic issue with airlines and it really really needs to change,” she said.

“I don’t want to be afraid to travel,” she concluded.

Delta Airlines responded to the previous incident involving Scaleese and her friend deFiebre by saying: “We must do better.” The airline has yet to issue a statement on the latest incident, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.