Veteran sues city of Cullman, entertainment company after he and his service dog were allegedly denied access to ride

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – A Birmingham resident is suing the city of Cullman and Kissel Entertainment after he says his service dog was not allowed on the Farris wheel at the Cullman Christkindlmarkt.

The lawsuit claims that this is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Kenneth Browning says they visited the Christmas Market with friends and family, but they didn’t expect to have issues with his service dog Maisie, who wasn’t allowed on the ADA accessible Ferris Wheel. The Army veteran says he suffers from PTSD and his service dog is critical to his health.

“I don’t think I would be here today if I didn’t have her. It got pretty rough this year. She has really been my best friend and helped me through a lot,” said Browning.

Browning says the worker manning the ferris wheel and their boss denied the dog access.

Browning says the crowds and situation were already difficult for him with PTSD. When he couldn’t get in touch with market organizers, Browning says he had a panic attack.

“Just kept getting worse. The feeling, and the panic. My dog Maisie, she went into one of her tasks and she laid on me providing some pressure and trying to help calm me down,” he said.

Browning’s attorney Edward Zwilling says the lawsuit will hopefully ensure no one else will go through something like this.

“We want some training, we want clear policies so this doesn’t ever happen in the future. This is an annual event, I am sure this ferris wheel is coming back. We want to make sure this doesn’t ever happen to another veteran and I think he is entitled to some compensation too for what they put him through.”

So far, the city of Cullman and Kissel Entertainment, who puts on the Christmas market, haven’t responded to our requests.

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