Do I have any recourse for a missed flight that stranded me overnight?

Had a flight recently I’m still not quite over. I’ve never complained to an airline but this was super upsetting and I want to know if I have any recourse with United or even DOT or FAA.

I had an 8 hour travel day, one layover. Boarding was fine at layover. I upgraded to economy plus. As soon as we take off, there’s a medical emergency. Doctors and flight attendants tried for at least 1.5-2 hours to keep them okay but they eventually made the decision to land and get them medical help. It was 10000% necessary and I have no issue that this needed to happen.

You can probably see where this is going.

We are sitting on the tarmac at the gate in new airport (quite possibly the worst airport in the US) and have to wait for them to replenish the medical supplies that were used per FAA policy. Great. We sat for like an hour and the pilot announces we were permitted egress. I wait a while because I didn’t think it would take so long but I eventually decided to get off and use the restroom since I couldn’t get up the whole flight.

I ask the flight attendant if I have time to use the restroom and get a snack at a shop and she says absolutely. Great. I sat at the next gate over, no earbuds, watching the screen and my app. It continued to push boarding further and further and said to remain seated. Eventually, I moved to the front by the screen where it said “please wait to board” and I was content. Soon enough, other passengers come around also based on their app information and we quickly realize that the plane has left.

The screen above the door still said waiting to board. The app said waiting to board. There was no text despite the previous text promising updates. There wasn’t even a fucking announcement. The app still said it was waiting to board when I left for the hotel, for fucks sake.

Their excuse was that the airport doesn’t allow them to broadcast announcements- would have been good to know. Again. I was right next to it, watching passively and never noticed a single announcement or even a line form. I also wasn’t the only one left behind.

They couldn’t rebook me. She handed me a fucking QR code for an AI bot and by the time I finally got a human, the next flight was in the morning. Now I’m stranded in a city I was never supposed to be in, paid an extra day for parking, paid for my Ubers to and from the hotel that they ended up giving me since they wouldn’t refund my ticket, AND I missed an important meeting that happened that morning. I couldn’t even be present for work at ALL because the plane wifi was out, which United somehow managed to let me know that but not that my plane was leaving. I got home 16 hours late.

Overall, I’ve just never experienced such negligence by the United staff at the airport. Absolutely no complaints about everyone who helped the passenger with the health crisis or even the pilot. The two that worked the desk at the gate took a list of every single person who deplaned so they KNEW we were missing. No text. No announcement. Nothing. I even asked the flight attendant and was told they’d text and update us. I fly a ton. Not frequently on United. I’ve had my fair share of travel drama but this was the first time I was just astounded by the complete mismanagement of that situation.

What would you do in this situation? Obviously a lesson was learned again. Ironically the reason I deplaned in the first place was because last time this happened to me, I waited on the plane the whole time until they straight up cancelled the flight and then there were no food places open anymore after a 4 hour wait and I was stuck at the airport waiting for the next- so this action was literally because of the timing and the fact that we didn’t get any food on the flight prior. Now I’m just talking but idk. Context.

I knew the risk but I asked for assurances and none of the promises came through.

TLDR: a group of us were abandoned by United at an airport we were never supposed to be at during a medical landing because they never announced it, never texted, never updated the app, never updated the screen above the door, after they took a list of every seat that deplaned. I got home 16 hours late, incurred expenses, and missed work due to what I consider negligence on United’s part. Do I have any recourse?