Does the viral doctor have ties to the boot state?

By now you may have heard about the man who was violently dragged from a United Airlines flight after refusing to give up his seat. The dramatic scene was caught on camera by multiple passengers and soon sparked outrage once the footage was shared online.

Since then, United has apologized several times for the way things panned out as their reputation (and their stock) continues to plummet.

During the incident, the passenger refused to leave the flight claiming that he was a doctor and had patients who were waiting on him. Once the footage spread over the web the internet quickly confirmed that the passenger was indeed a doctor named David Dao.

In addition to finding out that he was indeed a doctor who specialized in internal medicine, the internet was just as swift in finding out that Dao was also a convicted felon who has served out his sentence related to an incident where he illegally filled prescriptions, sometimes doing so in exchange for sex.

For some, the latter seemed to "justify" the way he was treated.

SIDE NOTE: This actually happens quite often when someone is catapulted into a viral hero/victim role. There is a mass outpouring of praise, empathy, sympathy or outrage over something or someone we see online—and soon after, almost like clockwork, certain people will share information from that person's past that don't paint them in the best light, in an effort to have everyone pump their brakes on the issue at hand and vilify them in the process.

But I digress.

One particular tidbit of information that has caught my eye in the wake of the United incident is that Dao seems like he has ties with Louisiana. Multiple websites list a Dr. David Dao as practicing in New Orleans. Now, of course this could easily be another Dr. David Dao—or it may be a fake website altogether, but they all seem legit.

Either way, Dao seems like he has lawyered up and from what I can see, this is far from the last we'll be hearing about United and the way airline passengers should be treated in the future when similar incidents arise.

I think when all is said and done, Dr. Dao will probably be able to say he was yanked out of the most expensive seat in United Airlines history.

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