Lowe’s Workers Fix Veteran’s Wheelchair After It Breaks In N.Y. Store

If you’ve got equipment that’s in the midst of breaking down, there’s perhaps nowhere more convenient to be than a huge warehouse filled with tools. So when a veteran’s wheelchair gave way during a shopping trip with his wife at Lowe’s, he didn’t panic. And neither did workers nearby, who put their fix-it expertise to use right there in the store.

Michael, a Staten Island veteran, lost his legs above the knee after stepping on a land mine in Vietnam, reports WABC-7 News. He’s waiting on a new chair from the Veterans Administration office, but says that despite repeated inquiries, he’s still stuck relying on his old wheelchair to get around.

Last week, he felt it give way while shopping at Lowe’s.

“I said, ‘Oh no Michael, what are we going to do? We don’t have any tools,’ ” his wife explained. “And he said, ‘Hello are you crazy? We’re in Lowes. We’re in the tool capital of the world!'”

The couple planned to pick up the right stuff to fix the chair themselves at home, but three Lowe’s associates took over right then and there instead.

“They tore the wheelchair apart. They tried all different types of bolts,” Michael said. “I was thanking them and they said, ‘you’re not leaving here until the wheelchair is like new.’ ”

He adds that while he’s looking forward to finally getting a new wheelchair, he’s got a great backup in place now. He thanked the employees, who told him, “It was our honor.”

“Our associates go above and beyond to take care of the community. They think of them as family,” said a Lowe’s manager.

LOWE’S EMPLOYEES REPAIR AMPUTEE VETERAN’S WHEELCHAIR [WABC-7 News]

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