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Passenger Confronts American Airlines Workers After $20k Camera Kit Is Damaged

ROMULUS (WWJ) - Yosef Shidler is an in-demand wedding photographer based in Brooklyn, New York. On his way to Detroit for work he's told to check his case full of camera gear at the gate.

"I would never think to check a bag like that," said Shidler. Employees told him the plane was small and there was no room in the overhead compartments.

He reluctantly agreed and to his horror he discovered that it had dropped 7-8 feet from a conveyor belt coming off the plane, popped open scattering euipment over the tarmac.

He confronted workers in Detroit on video as they picked up the pieces.

Shidler is pursuing reimbursement for the damage to his property, but said a miscommunication added to the frustration. Employees told him to talk to the gate agent about making a damage claim, which he did. Following up with the airline they had no record of the incident.

Explaining how he expected the airline to react instead of waiting for him to make a claim he said, "If an airline makes a mistake they have a responsibility to call their clients ..."

The video has more than 100,000 views on YouTube.

Calls to American Airlines were not immediately returned.

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