When David Castro accepted the position of Recall Repair Specialist at MarketSource, he knew he would save lives. What a strong purpose to pursue! And it quite literally comes with the territory when you’re replacing faulty Takata airbags; they can rupture unexpectedly in a crash, sending shrapnel into the vehicle. Our Takata airbag recall teams are responsible for locating the owners of vehicles equipped with these airbags and setting appointments to repair the vehicles at a local car dealership. In some instances, our team members can make repairs themselves on the spot.
However, David certainly didn’t expect to save one customer’s life in a completely different way.
In May of 2023, he identified a vehicle owner we’ll refer to as “Mr. C.” After explaining the purpose of the recall, Mr. C immediately scheduled an appointment to have both of his vehicles repaired, which were parked near his RV in a rural part of California.
On the day of the appointment, David texted his estimated arrival time to Mr. C but received no response. As he approached the location of the RV, David tried calling again—but once again, no answer. Knocking on the RV also produced no response. However, a few moments later, David heard a faint cry for help. “Mr. C?” he asked. This time, he heard the person say that he had fallen and needed an ambulance. After calling 911 and receiving permission to enter the RV, David found Mr. C in the kitchen. He was bent forward, and his head was lodged in an upside-down position. David learned Mr. C had been like that for two days.
“They said he may not have survived one more day due to how he was positioned and that he was very lucky. What they didn’t realize was that we initially scheduled the repairs for the following day, but I was able to fit him into my schedule early.
“I tried comforting him,” recalls David. “He wasn’t breathing well and was in a lot of pain. It took nearly an hour for the paramedics to get him out. They said he may not have survived one more day due to how he was positioned and that he was very lucky. What they didn’t realize was that we initially scheduled the repairs for the following day, but I was able to fit him into my schedule early. Mr. C thanked me as they wheeled him to the ambulance, pointing out that the keys to his vehicles were on the shelf inside his RV. I couldn’t believe it even crossed his mind after all that. But I let him know that I would put the keys right back where I found them, as well as all his other belongings the paramedics had to remove to get him out.”
Several weeks later, David messaged Mr. C, who said he was doing well, that he would be in the hospital for a few more weeks, and that he’d contact David once he was discharged. He has thanked David multiple times for saving his life. It’s clear that Mr. C will always be a special customer to David, and David plans on visiting him once he’s ready for company.
When asked for lessons David has learned in his career that he’d like to pass on to others, David says, “There are days when you are unable to locate a car for repair or get a repair done, and that’s okay. But I still feel good about my accomplishments because the day was productive and I know I gave it my all, even if there wasn’t a repair.” We imagine it also feels good to save a man’s life—in two different ways—all on the same day.
#Automotive #Recall #MarketSourceProud
Author: Sarah Nicholas
Sarah is a Content Writer for MarketSource. She has deep experience helping B2B, high-tech companies, and non-profit organizations define and convey their voice through compelling content and strategies that build and scale brands.
