HENRY COUNTY, Ga. -- A Henry County man says he’s been kicked off the county’s transit system because he’s overweight.
David Washington, 65, has been confined to a wheelchair following an infection after knee replacement surgery. Side effects from pain medications keep him from driving so he’s been using county buses for trips to the doctors and other errands.
“I have no other way of getting there, other than using the Henry transit,” Washington told WSB-TV Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland.
Last week the transit bus took a side trip to a scale at the local recycling center; weighing the bus with and without Washington aboard.
Days later came word the county was suspending his service. Washington and his wheelchair exceed a 600 pound weight limit.
“I've been using that service for 5 years without a single incident,” said Washington. “So why all of a sudden are they denying me services?”
Henry County transit officials told WSB’s Strickland that Washington and his wheelchair were putting a strain on hydraulic systems used to lift him onto the bus.
“Our utmost priority is assuring the safety of the passengers and when they exceed that standard we can no longer assure that safety,” said Julie Hoover Ernst, the Henry County communications director.
The weight guidelines are in the Americans with Disabilities Act, the law that's supposed to protect Washington from discrimination.
“It is quite ironic they're using it against me and I don't feel that is right,” Washington said. Federal transit administrators said if the hoist is rated to handle the weight, the county should provide service.
Washington and his chair combine for 680 pounds. The hoist on the bus that Jim Strickland saw is rated at 750 pounds according to the manufacturer's website.
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