Bridgestone says lawsuit against employee’s “appalling” action is “without merit”

US publication Tire Review says Bridgestone Americas has referred to the actions of one of its former employees, which resulted in a homeless man suffering significant injuries, as “appalling and senseless. The 64-year-old homeless man, Ruben Sandoval, suffered third-degree burns on his arms and face on January 2, 2010, when a service technician working at a Firestone Complete Auto Care store in California tried to scare the man away by dousing his shopping trolley with petrol and setting it on fire.

The technician is now serving a five-year prison sentence for his actions; Sandoval’s entire worldly goods were within the trolley and he suffered burns while trying to put the fire out. Sandoval claims Bridgestone’s anti-loitering policy at its company stores caused the former employee to burn his belongings, which resulted in his serious injuries. He has filed a US$1.5 million lawsuit against the former technician and Bridgestone Americas, alleging negligence and seeking unspecified punitive damages.

In an official statement, Bridgestone said the former employee’s actions were “result of a personal dispute between Mr. Sandoval and our former employee, who was sent to prison after being convicted of criminal acts.” The tyre maker also commented that “the lawsuit against our company is without merit.”