American Military News by Ron Zeitlinger 2/8/2020
A bus company based in Hoboken will pay $10,000 to a disabled veteran and institute corrective measures after the company’s failure to provide a wheelchair-accessible bus forced the veteran to miss out on most of his military reunion.
The 8-page settlement between Academy Express and the Department of Justice, which included a $10,000 fine, was negotiated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey and is aimed at ensuring equal access for passengers with disabilities, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. It did not provide the veteran’s name or where he is from.
The 74-year-old Vietnam veteran, who became paraplegic after his helicopter was gunned down in Vietnam, was set to join fellow combat unit veterans on an Academy charter bus for a multi-day “Honor Flight†tour of Washington, D.C. area sites on Oct. 4 and 5, 2018.
Reunion organizers notified Academy more than a month in advance of the need for a bus with a wheelchair lift for the event, which included visits to Arlington National Cemetery, the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a visit to the Vietnam War Memorial wall and a meeting with elected officials.
The veteran, who served as a staff sergeant in the Army’s 189th Assault Helicopter Company, was left behind at the Herndon, Virginia hotel on the first day, however, when neither of the two Academy charter buses had a functional wheelchair lift.
The following day, authorities said, Academy sent a wheelchair-accessible bus, but the driver struggled to operate the lift. The veteran, stuck on the wheelchair lift for hours, was forced to miss another day of reunion activities.
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/02/n-j-bus-company-to-pay-disabled-veteran-10k-for-military-reunion-snafu/
