On a sweltering 97-degree day in Houston, Army veteran Lonnice McCaskill walks with her husband Emmanuel and three of her four children. It’s a walk she doesn’t want to take, but it’s the only way they can get three-year-old Emmeliah, who has autism, to her doctor’s appointment.
KPRC’s Bill Spencer helps solve a terrible problem for a Houston family.
Lonnice, a former sergeant in the U.S. Army who served in Iraq, now walks everywhere due to a lack of reliable transportation.
Spencer solves it: veteran mother and family struggle to afford expensive repairs to their van. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)
It all started over a year ago when a red light runner hit the family’s 2013 Chrysler Town and Country van. Struggling financially, and with Emmanuel injured and unable to work, the McCaskill’s pooled their savings to purchase a used 2004 Honda Odyssey. But just two months later the vehicle began to exhibit serious problems.
Lonnice McCaskill: “It was like a cracking sound. Every time we turned the wheel it made a grinding, metal-on-metal sound. I would have to use my entire body weight to turn.”
Unfortunately, the problems with the Odyssey didn’t end there.
The repairs needed include:
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A complete replacement of the rack and pinion steering system.
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New brakes.
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A new front axle construction.
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Replacement of the shocks and struts.
All together, these repairs would cost $15,000.
Lonnice McCaskill: “It’s very dangerous. I have children in the car. There’s no way we can afford another repair. When we purchased the vehicle, we were told it had already been rebuilt.”
Making matters worse, Lonnice is still weeks away from starting the Houston Police Training Academy to become a Houston police officer, but she won’t be able to get there without reliable transportation.
That is where we intervene.
Bill Spencer: “No one deserves to have their car repaired more than you. We are going to do it completely for free.”
Christian Brothers Automotive stepped in to join Bill’s Brigade to help the family. Bill is still working on that story and we’ll bring it to you next week.
See more of the Spencer Solves It Team.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.