A mother is furious after a Texas car salesman took her daughter with Down syndrome to a dealership to buy a Honda.
Angie Martin, a working mother of seven, was shocked when she came home Tuesday night and didn’t see Hope Martin.
She was told that a salesman had picked up her disabled daughter and taken her to All-Star Honda to look at cars.
“My heart races just thinking about it. I got a text from her dad and he was like, ‘I got a couple texts from someone,'” Angie told KTAB.
Hope, who is keen to drive, is said to have called the dealer several times and said she wanted to buy a car.
A mother is furious after a Texas car salesman took her daughter with Down syndrome to a dealership to buy a Honda
Angie Martin, a working mother of seven, was shocked when she came home Tuesday night and didn’t see Hope Martin
Angie has talked to her daughter about driving, but told her that the decision is not hers, but up to the state motor vehicle authorities.
Hope, 27, wanted to buy a car, but her mother is furious. The salesman didn’t realise her daughter was vulnerable.
“I was so angry that this had happened and that a strange man had the audacity to take my daughter, who clearly has an intellectual disability, out of my home without my consent, let alone do something so drastic,” Angie said.
But she said she primarily blames the dealership’s management, not the salesperson.
“You and I have inhibitions and boundaries, and when we step outside of them, we are aware of them,” she said.
“Hope doesn’t have that. I offer it to her externally… I always try to thread that needle between her rights as a human being and her safety.”
Nicholas Varela, vice president of All Star Honda, said it’s not uncommon for people to arrange transportation for potential customers at the dealership.
“An incident recently occurred that we want to address immediately,” he said in a statement.
We are currently addressing this matter internally to ensure we maintain the highest standards of inclusivity and respect.
‘As a family business, we do our utmost to act in the interests of our customers and deeply regret any damage that may have been caused as a result.
Hope, who is keen to drive, is said to have called the dealer several times and said she wanted to buy a car
Angie was told that a salesman had picked up her disabled daughter and taken her to All-Star Honda to look at cars
“We apologize for any concerns this may have caused and appreciate the community’s understanding and support as we address this matter.”
According to Varela, the dealer would have felt they were violating Hope’s civil rights if they deemed her incapable of making such a decision for herself.
He added that they had contacted her father and that no payment had been made without a parent or legal guardian.
“What the legislation is trying to do is push us to higher standards, not give us an excuse for our shortcomings,” he added.
But Angie replied, “That’s why it doesn’t exist… I’m sure they’re still learning and rethinking and reexamining things, and I think something good will come out of this.
She believes that their statements were for ‘self-protection’ and that the statements did not match what she was told at the time.
Angie has talked to her daughter about driving, but told her that the decision is not hers, but up to the state motor vehicle authorities.
Hope, 27, then went out to buy a car but her mother is furious that the salesman didn’t recognise her daughter, she is vulnerable
‘[They told me] “Hopefully their job is to sell cars. They wanted to buy a car,” the mother said.
“Their job is not to determine whether someone is able to buy a car, which raises so many troubling questions, like: What if someone has dementia?”
Angie called the Abilene Police Department about the situation and said officers had spoken with their special needs experts and concluded that “kidnapping isn’t kidnapping if someone goes along willingly.”
Hope’s family picked her up from the car dealership a few hours after she arrived and they spoke with her about the incident.
“What would I change in the future? What do I want to get out of this? I want our community to do better to do good for our people with additional needs,” Angie said.
“They deserve to be able to move freely, safely and with a lot of support in our community.”
According to Varela, All-Star Honda staff will now receive training on the procedure for similar situations.