Central City will pay a $2,000 settlement plus attorneys’ fees to a woman who was denied a ride on the city’s free shuttle in August , because it wasn’t equipped with a wheelchair lift, the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition Legal Program said today.
Elaine Culpepper was forced to take her motorized scooter from Central City to neighboring Blackhawk, “n extremely dangerous trip,” stated the coalition, which represented her.
The settlement also requires the city to make all the Central City Free Ride shuttle buses handicapped-accessible.
“It was very scary to have to ride down the street between the two towns in my scooter,” Culpepper stated. ” I’m really going to enjoy the Central City Free Ride when I go to Central City and Blackhawk in the future.”
The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition said Culpepper initially wrote to Central City about what happened, then filed a discrimination complaint with the Department of Justice, which found the shuttle service in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
