The disabled woman whose wheelchair was pushed down the stairs by a college hockey player has spoken out about the incident.

On March 11, 22-year-old Sydney Benes was using the bathroom downstairs at Sullivan's Irish Pub in Erie, Pennsylvania, when she discovered her wheelchair at the bottom of the stairs damaged.

As reported by Daily Mail, she is a double amputee who lost her legs in a 2021 car accident and often depended on the help of the bar's security manager, Nate Sanders, to carry her downstairs when she needs to use the restroom.

On one particular night, Benes was left in shock after she returned with Sanders and discovered her broken chair at the bottom of the staircase. It had apparent damage to the brake, the armrest, and the frame.

Watch the incident below:

Initially, Benes thought that her wheelchair was broken due to an "accident," telling Inside Edition: "All that kept going through my mind was: 'God I hope this was an accident, I really hope somebody just accidentally bumped it down the stairs somehow.'"

But what actually happened was far worse, as security cam footage of the incident was shared on Twitter by bar manager Julia - who goes by the handle @juliazukowsk - and it displays Mercyhurst University student Carson Briere pushing Benes's wheelchair down the stairs.

In the upsetting clip, the 23-year-old son of former NHL player Daniel Briere and his male companion, 21-year-old lacrosse player Patrick Carrozzi, were seen sitting in the chair and tampering with its devices.

They then physically shoved it down the stairs - while intensely watching the fall-out - and then casually strolled into the bar as if nothing happened.

After seeing the footage, Sullivan's security guard identified the men and forced them to apologize to Benes - which she described as "insincere" to the publication - before they were escorted out and banned from coming back.

Julia's tweet went viral on the social media platform and led to the suspension of both athletes from their sports teams. The university also put out a statement stating that Briere's actions fell short of the school's "belief in the inherent dignity of each person".

The student also apologized in a statement that read: "I am deeply sorry for my behavior on Saturday. There is no excuse for my actions, and I will do whatever I can to make up for this serious lack of judgment," as cited by Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page was created by the bar staff to help the young woman fix her chair - which she bought for $2,000 two years ago - and as of the time of writing, $8,811 has been raised.

Credit: GoFundMe

Benes revealed that she originally wanted to remain anonymous, but once she saw the outpouring of love and support she got from online users, she decided to come forward.

"Hi I'm Sydney and it was my chair that was pushed down the stairs," she wrote alongside a photo of herself and Sanders at the top of the stairs. "I’m so thankful for all of Sullivan’s help in this situation and the kind comments I see on Julia’s post."

At first, she didn't want to "keep a cent of the donated money" but later disclosed that she will use some for her wheelchair, and then the rest will go to other members of the disabled community.

According to Yahoo, Briere and Carrozzi were allegedly hit with three misdemeanor charges - criminal mischief, criminal conspiracy to commit mischief, and disorderly conduct - by police due to the incident.

The outlet stated that they are scheduled to appear in court on May 22.

Featured image credit: PhotoAlto / Alamy

A Boston College student has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after consistently telling her boyfriend at the same school to end his life, which he eventually did, per BBC News.

On Thursday, Inyoung You, 23, pleaded guilty as she accepted responsibility for her late boyfriend Alexander Urtula's death following verbal, physical, and psychological abuse that she inflicted on him, the Suffolk County district attorney's office confirmed.

She initially pleaded not guilty in 2019, but under her new guilty plea, she will receive a suspended sentence. If she breaks any of her probation terms over the next decade, she could spend two and a half years behind bars.

She is to undergo mental health treatment and carry out community service. She is also prohibited from profiting from any portrayal of the case over the next decade.

“This agreement with defense counsel was made in close consultation with the Urtula family. It is consistent with their desire to seek accountability and closure and to protect the legacy of Alexander, a loving son, brother, and uncle," Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. "They believe this is something Alexander would have wanted."

The young couple started dating around the end of 2017 or start of 2018, per BuzzFeed News. According to the prosecution, You started becoming abusive towards Urtula in the summer of 2018 when she learned that he lied about meeting up with an ex-girlfriend.

During You and Urtula's 18-month relationship, she sent multiple abusive texts to her boyfriend, often telling him to kill himself.

"Do everyone a favor and go f***ing kill yourself, you’re such a f***ing stupid a** worthless s***," one of the texts from You to Urtula read.

Urtula committed suicide on May 20, 2019, just hours before his graduation from college.

Just four days before he died, You texted him, "F*** YOU GO F***ING KILL YOURSELF..."

You's lawyer, Steven Kim said in a statement in November 2019 that the prosecution had made his client out to be “a monster to the entire world, further traumatizing her.”

Our thoughts continue to be with Alexander Urtula's family at this difficult time.

Featured image credit: Image Source / Alamy

A paraplegic man who was left to drag himself through a British airport by staff has decided to drop legal action.

Justin Levene, an international wheelchair athlete and mentor to disabled athletes, was forced to pull himself along the floor, before sitting on a luggage trolley, after his self-propelled wheelchair was forgotten by staff and left behind on his flight.

A video that showed the 30-year-old struggling to move through Luton airport with his hands quickly went viral last week, with a spokesman for Luton Airport claiming he was offered assistance and turned it down.

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After the incident took place in August, Levene - who lost the ability to walk after an operation that aimed to fix a herniated disc went wrong  - claimed to feel "humiliated" and said he would be beginning legal action.

Now, however, he has backed down, stating that Luton airport has "improved their disabled facilities."

Speaking to the BBC, he said that his claim was "never about money" but instead about helping disabled travellers.

"If Luton now has self-propelling wheelchairs and a loan system in case of loss or damage to a wheelchair, then I'm delighted with this outcome," he said. "This was never about money, it was about trying to get a change in policy. I am happy to drop my legal claim because Luton has taken on board my concerns and improved their disabled facilities for the better."

Level, who is paralysed below the waist and reliant on his self-propelling wheelchair, continued: "I hope that media coverage has helped raise awareness of issues around the mobility needs of disabled travellers. We simply want to get from A to B with as much dignity and independence as possible."

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Staff at Luton Airport had offered to push the athlete through arrivals on a rigid high-backed chair, but the 30-year-old declined as he felt it took away his independence and would leave him "humiliated and degraded".

Discussing their "improved facilities", a spokesperson for Luton Airport stated that the building now had 10 self-propelled wheelchairs.

As well as the chairs, based permanently at the airport, the airport also has a loan replacement system whereby it lends people equipment - such as wheelchairs - free of charge. It will also organise and fund the returns process.

They claimed that, in the future, when pre-notification of a requirement for very specialised mobility equipment was received, a local disability resource centre would assist them in sourcing such items.

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Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson told ITV's Good Morning Britain that the result Mr Levene had achieved was "amazing".

"This is the reality for a lot of disabled people. You get left on planes, you get left for sometimes a couple of hours," she said. "Last week I decided to crawl off a train because it didn't appear that anyone was coming to get me."

Delta Air Lines has been met with backlash after a video surfaced online showing a female passenger crying after her wheelchair was damaged in transit.

Per The Independent, disability advocate and model Bri Scalesse took to social media on Friday. May 21, to share a video of her friend sobbing following their Delta flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Phoenix, Arizona.

Scalesse captioned the clip: "Today my heart broke watching my best friend sob because Delta broke her wheelchair. She kept repeating, 'This is my life. This is the only way I can live my life.'"

You can see the now-viral TikTok video below:

Scalesse's caption adds that issues like this happen "so often" and that she's tired of watching "her community suffer".

The video - which has amassed over 14 million views - shows Scalesse's friend, Geeg DeFiebre, visibly in tears after discovering her wheelchair had been damaged during their flight.

DeFiebre can be seen attempting to explain to staff that her wheelchair had been "made for her", as employees prepare to move her over into another chair.

Speaking to the Daily Dot, DeFiebre later revealed: "My wheel was warped and mangled when I exited the plane in Phoenix."

She added: "As soon as I sat down in my chair and saw my wheels, I realized that something was wrong.

"The wheel was so warped that it was impossible to push because it would dig into the side of my leg instead of rolling straight."

In response to the video, many social media users called out Delta Air Lines, calling the situation "unacceptable" and demanding that it covers any damages:

Credit: TikTok Credit: TikTok Credit: TikTok

In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson from Delta said: "We’re so sorry that her wheelchair was damaged and have been in touch with her directly to make this right, including support to make repairs to her device.

"We know our customers with disabilities rely on Delta for their travel needs, and we fell short here. We’re conducting a full investigation of what happened, because we must be better."

Credit: TikTok

Replying to a comment on her video, Scalesse revealed that Delta has offered to pay for replacement wheels - but as of three days ago, they had not yet been ordered.

Featured image credit: Martyn Williams / Alamy

A New York City resident was left with a "severe traumatic brain injury" after her head was caved in by a chair that fell from a penthouse.

Annabel Sen is now suing the property company - which is owned by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin - after the falling piece of furniture left her with "permanent and debilitating injuries".

Per a copy of the complaint shared with PEOPLE, 24-year-old Sen was walking past the Union Street building on January 25 when she was suddenly struck by a "heavy wooden lounge chair" that fell from a 12th-floor penthouse.

More on this story in the video below:

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Sen - who worked in private equity at the time and had applied to Harvard Medical School to pursue a master's degree in this fall - required emergency surgery after the impact caused a "severe traumatic brain injury".

She has also had to undergo two additional surgeries.

Speaking to PEOPLE, her lawyer, Benedict Morelli from the Morelli Law Firm, said:

"[Sen] has undergone three brain surgeries. We are hoping that she returns to full cognitive abilities, but the future is still unclear at this point. She suffered a horrific injury.

"Frankly, she’s lucky to be alive.

The attorney added: "Annabel’s spirit and optimism are a testament to her character. She remains committed to her recovery and is making progress each day."

Annabel is now living back with her parents and is currently unable to work at her former job or attend Harvard.

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The 24-year-old is suing the penthouse owner, GR Realty Holdings, which is the holding company owned by Michael Rubin.

As well as GR Realty Holdings, Sen is also suing the condominium board, building management company, and the men leasing the 12th-floor apartment at the time of the incident.

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Part of the complaint reads: "The piece of unsecured terrace furniture was caused to fall due to the carelessness, recklessness, and negligence of the Defendants, their agents, servants and/or employees."

It adds that the defendants "permitted a foreseeable hazard to exist, and that foreseeable hazard—an unsecured lounge chair on a terrace 12 stories high in windy, rainy conditions."

According to a statement given to NBC New York by Rubin's spokesperson, the Philadelphia 76ers co-owner has not lived in the building for over a year.

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Morelli states that "Mr. Rubin and the other defendants should have foreseen the potential for this to occur and taken appropriate precautions."

He added: "This doesn’t happen without negligence. It’s not an act of God. I’m going to hold them responsible."

Following the incident, the 15 Union Square West Building was issued a citation by the New York City Department of Buildings and was fined $6,250.

Related - This "influencer" was arrested after throwing a chair from a balcony to a busy street:

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