TSA detains sick girl because she tested positive for explosives, mother says

Another TSA flub this time involving a 12 year old girl in a wheel chair. According to her mother, they were detained for nearly an hour at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport because the TSA agents supposedly detected bomb residue on the girl's hands.

MyFoxDFW.com reports that Shelbi Walser, who suffers from a genetic bone disorder, was traveling with her mother from Texas to Florida for medical treatment Dec. 8 when she was prevented from proceeding through a security checkpoint.

When a screener swabbed Shelbi's hands and fingers, she tested positive for explosives, her mother, Tammy Daniels tells KHOU.com. The wheelchair, she said, was never tested.

Daniels said a bomb specialist showed up and TSA agents prevented her from getting close to her crying daughter, according to MyFoxDFW.com.

Other passengers reportedly spoke out in support of Shelbi, according to Daniels, who used her cell phone to record a video of the incident.

SOURCE HERE

There is a video posted as well but I don't know how to embed it since it's not You-tube vid.....

Daniels said she couldn't comfort her crying daughter because screeners ordered her to keep back during the hour it took bomb experts to settle the situation.

"I am by no means undermining our safety in the air. After 9/11, by no means am I doing that," Daniels added. "But when it comes to children, common sense is not in a textbook."

She said the TSA checked and cleared her and all their carry-ons, but never tested the wheelchair, which likely transferred the substance to Walser's hands as she pushed it.

Texas Source



Of course, TSA defended their actions by stating that they are sensitive to the concerns of passengers who were not satisfied with their screening experience and we invite those individuals to provide feedback to TSA through a variety of channels...blah, blah, blah.

The girl suffers from brittle bone disease and was flying to Tampa, Florida, for treatment on Sunday.
I can't even imagine the stress that this added to the poor girl.
Not to mention scared the daylights out of her.
Poor thing......I hope she doesn't let this incident bother her in the future.
Totally uncalled for IMO...

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I wasn't sure which forum to put this in.
There needs to be one for stupid and ignorant actions by any of the alphabet letter agency groups.

That poor girl touches everything the wheels of her chair touch. That tiny, adorable, diabolical cutie is obviously in on some plot to get her medical treatment in another city.

Where is TSA when people have to sit on the city bus next to some urine-soaked bum, blasting music and waving around a knife?

The airports are messed up. I hate being touched or being called a liar and to have a stranger pat me down like a criminal while I'm trying to live my life is violating.

But seriously? There are background checks available. Why can't people that have lived here all their lives just buy a violation bypass card and board? It's disgusting how we allow ourselves to be abused by these people. More people should boycott things they don't approve of.

reply to post by snarky412
This kind of thing happens more often than you think! The cloths that they wipe down your hands, luggage, etc. to test for gunpowder and other explosives residue have given a false positive on several people that I know personally, and they had to go through an intensive search and interrogation to be able to board their flights- with one lady missing her flight and having to wait for a later one. (I will note that none of them received a "strip search" however.)

I am sad for this little girl having to go through something like this, it must have been terrifying! I know that the TSA agents probably honestly believe that they were doing their best to protect the other passengers, but at what point does common sense take over? I believe that sometimes common sense takes priority over procedural details, and this is one of those cases. At the very least it would have calmed the little girl considerably to have her mother at her side. I know jobs are scarce right now, but sometimes compassion and humanity have to take priority over fear of breaking with procedure.

Off topic: Love your new avi snarky! It's so festive and colorful!

Yeah, there's a positive test for explosives, but it's safe, she's just a 12 year old girl. Someone would never put a bomb in her wheelchair, or on her body, or..... oh wait.

It kills me how people have developed such a "I'm safe, test everyone else" mentality. I've seen kids toys go through with weapons inside them, I've seen elderly gentlemen with canes that had weapons in them, I've seen military guys that thought it would be funny as hell to stick a training grenade in their buddies bag, knowing he was going through the airport. If there is a positive test, they have to be sure.

There are a lot of products that will cause a false positive on the ETD, but that can't be determined just by asking someone questions, with the exception of one product (which I will not name), because people are going to lie. I'm sorry that the little girl had to go through this, but if you're going to fly, you're going to get screened, and you're going to have to deal with false positives at times that have to be cleared.

Originally posted by PrincessTofu

Where is TSA when people have to sit on the city bus next to some urine-soaked bum, blasting music and waving around a knife?

In their "proper" place and not trying to regulate interstate, or even worse, inner-city travel-- something which should be FAR beyond their authority-- that's where.

Though I agree that this whole episode is terrible.

reply to post by littled16


I understand the TSA having to check the young girl out but I think it could have been handled a little better.

The anticipation of having to fly to a hospital for treatment and now this........bad timing for her.
I hope her flight back turns out better.