Mechanic goes the extra mile, spends weeks repairing woman’s wheelchair lift

Christian Barber is a mechanic who went above and beyond the call of duty to make one customer happy.

Barber, who works at Phantom Motor Works, in North Smithfield, Rhode Island, spent several weeks in order to fix the wheelchair lift in Linda Abrants’ truck, local NBC affiliate WJAR reported.

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Abrants, who was left a paraplegic after an accident 20 years ago, met Barber several weeks ago when she was doing laps in her wheelchair for exercise because her gym had closed due to the pandemic. She needed air in her tires and Barber, who's been a mechanic for more than two decades, helped her out.

She says the wheelchair lift that was installed on her truck was poorly constructed and has broken on several occasions. The company that made it has not been responsive to her, she said, so she took it to Barber after it broke again.

“I trusted him and it’s really hard to find a mechanic that you trust,” she told WJAR, the NBC affiliate in Providence, Rhode Island.

“If a human put it together, a human can fix it,” Barber said.

He couldn’t find parts, but that didn’t him stop from spending six weeks trying to fix it.

“My wife is disabled so I understand the struggle. I don’t mind stepping in,” he said.

Barber also only charged Abrants a small fee.

“It’s the way I was brought up. One hand washes the other,” he said.

And for Abrants, the experience is a reminder that there’s a lot to be thankful for.

“It just shows there are good people in the world,” she said.

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