Military veteran’s painful walk across airport tarmac sparks strangers to raise over $135K

A viral video showing an airport worker and military veteran struggling to walk across a California tarmac has inspired thousands of strangers to donate more than $135,000 to help cover the man's medical expenses and daily living costs.

The footage, recorded at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, has been viewed nearly 6 million times on TikTok and sparked an outpouring of support online.

Passenger Lacinda Thackeray said she filmed the worker after noticing he appeared to be in significant pain while performing his duties.