Dr Dinesh Palipana, a prominent Queensland Doctor and a former Australian of the Year, faced an unfortunate incident when Virgin Australia ground staff at Brisbane Airport accidentally tipped him off his wheelchair.

The incident happened when Dr Palipana, accompanied by his mother and two carers, was en route to Melbourne to deliver a talk on disability.

Chithrani, Dr Palipana's mother, expressed her dismay on social media, urging staff to ‘LISTEN and follow the lead of the care team’.

‘We travel in numbers and (with) experienced staff for safety,’ the mother stressed.

‘The (Virgin) wheelchair assistance staff member today disregarded all of us, asked us not to interfere (and) even for the three of us to board the plane first (before Dr Palipana) which we didn’t do luckily.

Virgin Australia is investigating an incident where Dr Dinesh Palipana was tipped from his wheelchair by ground staff at Brisbane Airport. Image source: Facebook (@virginaustralia)

‘What did she do then, she dropped my son from the chair taking a sharp corner. Who gave her the right to know how to assist someone with a spinal cord injury?

‘We travel so often and this is the first time ever we came across such a Virgin Australia staff member who didn’t want to listen to the care team.

‘Do not cause bodily harm to someone in a wheelchair because you think you know it all.’

Dr Palipana said he is waiting for scans to see if he has any injuries, noting that his flights are usually incident-free.

He pointed out that Virgin Australia has been ‘historically excellent’ in accommodating passengers with disabilities and added that the airline had called him to apologise.

‘It was very distressing for my family and the people around me, and the outcome could have been dire if there was a fracture or head injury,’ he shared with the Courier Mail.

‘However, I do think it was an isolated incident where the ground staff member kind of took things into their own hands.

‘Virgin historically has been excellent, and a lot of people with disabilities prefer to fly with them. They proactively called me to apologise and said they were investigating the matter.’

‘I’ve had a number of conversations with Virgin, including times where they’ve had me speak to their teams and leadership team.’

‘They have been receptive and made changes.’

Dinesh Palipana was tipped from a wheelchair at Brisbane Airport. ​

In a statement, Virgin Australia expressed their sincere apologies and deep regret for the incident and stated that an inquiry had been initiated.

Key Takeaways

• Virgin Australia is investigating an incident where Dr Dinesh Palipana, a doctor living with a disability, was tipped from his wheelchair at Brisbane Airport.
• Dr Palipana's mother blamed a staff member for the accident on social media.
• Although awaiting injury scans, Dr Palipana acknowledged Virgin's general excellence in accommodating passengers with disabilities.
• Disability Royal Commission chair, Ronald Sackville, has highlighted similar travel-related concerns for people with disabilities in the past.

Members, what are your thoughts on this story? Have you, or someone you know, ever felt overlooked in terms of safety and inclusivity? Share your experiences in the comments below!

 

[Veggiepatch]

Having worked with people with disabilities, physical or not, for 20 odd years, I find it unusual for someone who has suffered a spinal injury not to have some type of personal securing device on the wheelchair.
When people with epilepsy and cerebral palsy are wheelchair bound, they ALWAYS have the provision of a seatbelt on their chair. In some instances, a bike or similar helmet is used to reduce the likelihood of head trauma.
I feel that Dr Pilipana and his entourage must take a proportion of the blame for this incident.
Or is there a deeper motive?

 

[KiwiTrish]

Dr Dinesh Palipana, a prominent Queensland Doctor and a former Australian of the Year, faced an unfortunate incident when Virgin Australia ground staff at Brisbane Airport accidentally tipped him off his wheelchair.

The incident happened when Dr Palipana, accompanied by his mother and two carers, was en route to Melbourne to deliver a talk on disability.

Chithrani, Dr Palipana's mother, expressed her dismay on social media, urging staff to ‘LISTEN and follow the lead of the care team’.

‘We travel in numbers and (with) experienced staff for safety,’ the mother stressed.

‘The (Virgin) wheelchair assistance staff member today disregarded all of us, asked us not to interfere (and) even for the three of us to board the plane first (before Dr Palipana) which we didn’t do luckily.

View attachment 31820

Virgin Australia is investigating an incident where Dr Dinesh Palipana was tipped from his wheelchair by ground staff at Brisbane Airport. Image source: Facebook (@virginaustralia)

‘What did she do then, she dropped my son from the chair taking a sharp corner. Who gave her the right to know how to assist someone with a spinal cord injury?

‘We travel so often and this is the first time ever we came across such a Virgin Australia staff member who didn’t want to listen to the care team.

‘Do not cause bodily harm to someone in a wheelchair because you think you know it all.’

Dr Palipana said he is waiting for scans to see if he has any injuries, noting that his flights are usually incident-free.

He pointed out that Virgin Australia has been ‘historically excellent’ in accommodating passengers with disabilities and added that the airline had called him to apologise.

‘It was very distressing for my family and the people around me, and the outcome could have been dire if there was a fracture or head injury,’ he shared with the Courier Mail.

‘However, I do think it was an isolated incident where the ground staff member kind of took things into their own hands.

‘Virgin historically has been excellent, and a lot of people with disabilities prefer to fly with them. They proactively called me to apologise and said they were investigating the matter.’

‘I’ve had a number of conversations with Virgin, including times where they’ve had me speak to their teams and leadership team.’

‘They have been receptive and made changes.’

Dinesh Palipana was tipped from a wheelchair at Brisbane Airport. ​

In a statement, Virgin Australia expressed their sincere apologies and deep regret for the incident and stated that an inquiry had been initiated.

Key Takeaways

• Virgin Australia is investigating an incident where Dr Dinesh Palipana, a doctor living with a disability, was tipped from his wheelchair at Brisbane Airport.
• Dr Palipana's mother blamed a staff member for the accident on social media.
• Although awaiting injury scans, Dr Palipana acknowledged Virgin's general excellence in accommodating passengers with disabilities.
• Disability Royal Commission chair, Ronald Sackville, has highlighted similar travel-related concerns for people with disabilities in the past.

Members, what are your thoughts on this story? Have you, or someone you know, ever felt overlooked in terms of safety and inclusivity? Share your experiences in the comments below!

Hope he got the sack

 

[starrysnan]

A person with a disability and their carers are obviously more qualified to assist than a staff member who has only just met them. Better training for airline staff would be helpful as well as clear explanations from the passenger and carers. My husband uses a wheelchair and we have never had a problem with transfers - in fact staff have been extremely helpful. We flew Virgin last year from Brisbane to Newcastle return and we could not fault their very helpful professional assistance.

 

[Cyberchook]

Having worked with people with disabilities, physical or not, for 20 odd years, I find it unusual for someone who has suffered a spinal injury not to have some type of personal securing device on the wheelchair.
When people with epilepsy and cerebral palsy are wheelchair bound, they ALWAYS have the provision of a seatbelt on their chair. In some instances, a bike or similar helmet is used to reduce the likelihood of head trauma.
I feel that Dr Pilipana and his entourage must take a proportion of the blame for this incident.
Or is there a deeper motive?

My aged mother was tossed out on the road when it the wheels hit a poorly graded road surface. She fractured her leg and had emergency surgery, but two days later she said she could not cope with the pain and was going to die so she did. It was discovered she had a fractured hip that was not ex-rayed as well. Her health otherwise was excellent and she could have had many more years if the wheelchair had a seat belt. I think they should be paramount to all wheelchairs like prams and strollers, as it is easy to be tipped out.

 

[Colette 3799]

A person with a disability and their carers are obviously more qualified to assist than a staff member who has only just met them. Better training for airline staff would be helpful as well as clear explanations from the passenger and carers. My husband uses a wheelchair and we have never had a problem with transfers - in fact staff have been extremely helpful. We flew Virgin last year from Brisbane to Newcastle return and we could not fault their very helpful professional assistance.

I’ve assisted people with a disability on a few flights when I was a support worker and I also have found everyone extremely helpful. They have asked questions and have listened when told how we usually do things. Never had a problem but I guess no everyone is quite so lucky

 

[Lesle]

Dr Dinesh Palipana, a prominent Queensland Doctor and a former Australian of the Year, faced an unfortunate incident when Virgin Australia ground staff at Brisbane Airport accidentally tipped him off his wheelchair.

The incident happened when Dr Palipana, accompanied by his mother and two carers, was en route to Melbourne to deliver a talk on disability.

Chithrani, Dr Palipana's mother, expressed her dismay on social media, urging staff to ‘LISTEN and follow the lead of the care team’.

‘We travel in numbers and (with) experienced staff for safety,’ the mother stressed.

‘The (Virgin) wheelchair assistance staff member today disregarded all of us, asked us not to interfere (and) even for the three of us to board the plane first (before Dr Palipana) which we didn’t do luckily.

View attachment 31820

Virgin Australia is investigating an incident where Dr Dinesh Palipana was tipped from his wheelchair by ground staff at Brisbane Airport. Image source: Facebook (@virginaustralia)

‘What did she do then, she dropped my son from the chair taking a sharp corner. Who gave her the right to know how to assist someone with a spinal cord injury?

‘We travel so often and this is the first time ever we came across such a Virgin Australia staff member who didn’t want to listen to the care team.

‘Do not cause bodily harm to someone in a wheelchair because you think you know it all.’

Dr Palipana said he is waiting for scans to see if he has any injuries, noting that his flights are usually incident-free.

He pointed out that Virgin Australia has been ‘historically excellent’ in accommodating passengers with disabilities and added that the airline had called him to apologise.

‘It was very distressing for my family and the people around me, and the outcome could have been dire if there was a fracture or head injury,’ he shared with the Courier Mail.

‘However, I do think it was an isolated incident where the ground staff member kind of took things into their own hands.

‘Virgin historically has been excellent, and a lot of people with disabilities prefer to fly with them. They proactively called me to apologise and said they were investigating the matter.’

‘I’ve had a number of conversations with Virgin, including times where they’ve had me speak to their teams and leadership team.’

‘They have been receptive and made changes.’

Dinesh Palipana was tipped from a wheelchair at Brisbane Airport. ​

In a statement, Virgin Australia expressed their sincere apologies and deep regret for the incident and stated that an inquiry had been initiated.

Key Takeaways

• Virgin Australia is investigating an incident where Dr Dinesh Palipana, a doctor living with a disability, was tipped from his wheelchair at Brisbane Airport.
• Dr Palipana's mother blamed a staff member for the accident on social media.
• Although awaiting injury scans, Dr Palipana acknowledged Virgin's general excellence in accommodating passengers with disabilities.
• Disability Royal Commission chair, Ronald Sackville, has highlighted similar travel-related concerns for people with disabilities in the past.

Members, what are your thoughts on this story? Have you, or someone you know, ever felt overlooked in terms of safety and inclusivity? Share your experiences in the comments below!

When I had to get a wheelchair of off a plane at Brisbane airport he pushed me like he was in a race, I felt like I was going to be tipped out or worse run into something or someone and be seriously injured, and that was after flying Qantas mind you getting on the plane in Darwin was a different story, couldn’t do enough for me

 

[Veggiepatch]

I was wheelchaired off a QANTAS flight in 1983 with a right leg fractured in five places. Such an enjoyable experience with a bootiful blonde hostess pushing me around. Going uphill was the best as she had to walk closer to the wheelchair, slightly stooped resulting in her two greatest assets pushing into my shoulders.