Parents plan legal action after teen with autism kicked off flight

PORTLAND, OR -- Parents in Oregon plan to take legal action after they say their daughter -- who has autism -- was forced off a United jet that had taken off from Houston last week, reports KOIN-TV.

Juliette Beegle, 15, was coming back to their home on Tuesday after a trip to Disney World. Their connecting flight was in Houston.

It was on the Houston to Portland leg of the trip that Juliette's mother, Donna, said the pilot made an emergency landing in Salt Lake City and escorted Juliette off the plane.

"The captain never came back and said, 'Is everything OK,' or even met her," said Donna. "Never. He landed a plane."

Donna says Juliette makes loud noises when she's frustrated.

"And I know her," said Donna. "When she gets over hungry or over thirsty she really struggles because she can't tell us."

After trying other foods, Donna said she asked if they could buy something hot from first class. Initially, she says they were told no. Donna said Juliette started to calm down and was watching a video.

Donna said she then heard over the loud speaker that the plane was making the emergency landing because of a passenger's behavior issues. She said the next thing she knew, the plane landed, and airport police asked them to leave.

"So I started to cry," said Donna. "I was furious, so I told them I'm not leaving until we get statements from the people because I could say she's not a threat but they need to hear it from the passengers."

The family says they've now contacted a lawyer.

In a written statement to KOIN-TV, United said, "After working to accommodate Dr. Beegle and her daughter during the flight, the crew made the best decision for the safety and comfort of all our customers and elected to divert to Salt Lake City after the situation became disruptive."