There was immediate outcry when video footage of police officers dragging a bleeding man off of a United Airlines flight went viral two years ago.
The man at the center of the conflict, Dr. David Dao, is finally speaking out about the ordeal, telling ABC that he still suffers from headaches and other injuries related to the brutal incident.
The 69-year-old had already boarded a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Louisville with his wife when flight attendants asked him to give up his seat and deplane. The airline overbooked the flight and needed four seats for United Airlines crew members, so they offered $800 to anyone who gave up their seat.
But no one budged, prompting the airline to randomly select four passengers to leave the airplane. Three of the people chosen agreed to deplane, but Dao refused, asking for more clarification on what was happening. He was on his way to the opening of a clinic which aids U.S. veterans.
Flight attendants then called Chicago Department of Aviation officers, who hit Dao in the face and slammed his head on the plane's ceiling before dragging him off.
In a Tuesday interview which marked exactly two years since the incident, Dao said he did not remember much after the officers slammed his head but said he cried heavily after watching videos taken by other passengers.
According to ABC, Dao had a concussion, gashes all over his face and multiple teeth had been knocked out. Dao spent months in a depressed state and had to relearn how to walk. His hospital was forced to place him on suicide watch after the incident. He still has problems concentrating and can no longer do the things he once did, namely run marathons.
The outcry from the video led to waves of criticism of United and its policies. The company refunded the tickets of everyone on the flight and was forced to pay an undisclosed settlement to Dao, who said he was thankful his harrowing experience led to changes in how airlines deal with situations like his.
The botched response to the crisis led United CEO Oscar Munoz to say the airline would never again "put a law enforcement official onto a plane to take them off…to remove a booked, paid, seated passenger. We can't do that."
In a statement to ABC, the airline said the situation "was a defining moment for United Airlines and it is our responsibility to make sure we as a company and all of our 90,000 employees continue to learn from that experience."
"The changes we have implemented since that incident better serve our customers and further empower our employees," the company added. "It makes us a better airline, a more caring company and a stronger team."
Watch his interview with Good Morning America below:
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