Paraplegic athlete Justin Levene is suing Luton Airport after claiming he had to drag himself across the floor in front when his wheelchair didn't arrive.
The BBC reports that Levene's self-propelled wheelchair had been left behind on a flight, meaning he had to pull himself along the airport floor.
Staff apparently offered to push him in a rigid, high-backed chair, but Levene declined as he felt it stripped him of his independence.
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Levene told the BBC he felt 'humiliated', adding: "I was angry that none of the staff seemed to understand the position or seemed to have any empathy for what was happening."
He believes that there should be a greater acknowledgement of how important independence is for disabled travellers.
"There should be appropriate equipment in every single airport," he said.
"If something does happen, no-one should be put in the position that they are forced to crawl through the airport or drag themselves along the floor.
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"And there should be some form of equipment to move themselves independently. Someone whose chair is their legs shouldn't be forced to be reliant on others for help."
After Levene coughed and herniated a disc at the age of 20, an operation to fix the issue went wrong. This mean he was left paralysed below the waist.
He now relies on his self-propelling wheelchair, which he says is a huge part of his self-sufficiency - having overcome his adversity to become an international wheelchair athlete, as well as a trainer and mentor to other disabled athletes.
"I've worked very hard for a number of years to try and maintain all of my independence," Levene continued.
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"To be in one of the chairs they were offering would make me feel humiliated and degraded.
"They insisted in trying to strap me down in it.
"I wouldn't have been able to adjust myself, and would have been at risk of getting a pressure sore."
In a statement the airport said: "On discovering that Mr Levene's flight had arrived without his wheelchair, our teams worked hard to find a solution, offering Mr Levene an assisted wheelchair as a temporary replacement.
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"Mr Levene declined all offers of help as he deemed them unacceptable.
"While we apologise if Mr Levene was dissatisfied with the service he received, we are satisfied that our agents and staff did all they could in difficult circumstances."
Featured Image Credit: Justin Levene