KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) BNSF Railway Co. is being sued after it declined to hire a man who suffered injuries in a car accident more than 20 years ago.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Kansas City, Kan., that the decision violated the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The Kansas City Star reported Thursday that BNSF refused to hire Kent Duty, a Kansas City area resident, as a locomotive electrician in 2008. The company believed hand and wrist injuries he suffered in the accident made him unable to perform the job.
EEOC attorneys allege the company’s medical officer disqualified Duty without testing his grip strength or other abilities.
The company said in a statement that it couldn’t comment because it had not seen the lawsuit.
