Six Flags Sued After Barring Disabled Man From Ride

A Texas man born without hands has sued Six Flags after being barred from enjoying one of the theme park’s many rides.

Clint Bench said he’s visited the park on several occasions and never had any trouble with any of the operators. The New York Daily News reports all of this changed during the man’s most recent trip to the park.

Workers at Six Flags in Arlington refused to let Bench participate in one of the rides he has enjoyed in the past. After arguing with the operator, he decided to take his case to Guest Services. Unfortunately for Bench, they didn’t see his side of the story.

According to CBS DFW, Bench has enjoyed the Aquaman Splashdown attraction in the past. However, this didn’t seem to matter much to the Six Flags staff. Despite his insistence, workers refused to let him on the ride. Bench has since fired back with a discrimination lawsuit.

Attorney Levi McCathern explained:

“One of the things that is the most upsetting to us is that for the first time in his life, especially in his experiences at Six Flags, they call him out in front of his kids. And say your father is not the same as everybody else.

“We repeatedly offered to resolve this with Six Flags for not a dollar. Clint was absolutely adamant when he came to me that this was not about him getting a dollar. Unfortunately we are in a position now where we will seek some money to cover the cost and expenses of the lawsuit.”

Once Bench filed the lawsuit, Six Flags made some adjustments to its policies. In order to ride Aquaman Splashdown, a person must have “one full arm and one full leg.” The company has yet to respond to the lawsuit.

Do you think Six Flags should pay for the way it treated one of its disabled customers?

[Image by Theme Park Review]