Pen Poke Postpones Chicago Plane Departure
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File photo. Southwest Airlines(CHICAGO) — A Southwest Airlines flight was delayed several hours Thursday afternoon at Chicago Midway Airport after a man complained of being stabbed by his seatmate.
Flight 577 was taxiing toward takeoff, en route to Manchester, New Hampshire, when it was forced to return to the gate after sleeping passenger Lenny Mordarski says he woke up screaming for help because the woman seated next to him was jabbing him in the arm with a pen in order to get him to stop snoring.
“Imagine being asleep and then being stung by bees, and then waking up and going owwww,” Mordarski said.
Witnesses said Mordarski was loud in his reaction to the pen poke, but those close to him said his snoring was loud as well.
Security staff escorted the woman from the plane and the Chicago Fire Department was called to look at Mordarski’s bruises.
In a statement, Southwest Airlines characterized the incident as a “poking” — not a “stabbing.” The woman was removed and put on another flight. It’s unknown whether she will face any charges.
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