OMG! One of my worst fears realized, lol!

Ok, now I'm so not a gear head, but aren't your front brakes the main brakes? And the rear are the parking break? Unless maybe he checked the front brakes and messed something up... Anyway, glad you're ok! That must have been terrifying. Is there a puddle under the car? (leaking brake fluid)

The worst thing about this is now we have to drive it back out there.  We can take the highway, or we can drive city which involves the possibility of about 35 different stop lights.  I told my dad I refuse to take it.  DH is going to have to do it.  Which still sucks b/c I'm not at all comfortable driving the even worse POS thing that he drives (which probably can't go on the highway anyway).

It sounds like he didn't bleed the brake lines when he was finished replacing a line of pads. You have to bleed the lines and get all the air out, otherwise you get spongy brake pedal or not brakes at all.

The one we know:  FORD = Found On Road Dead.  

Patrick's Volvo (an 82 sedan, so every right to be cranky) has a valve problem with the brakes.  Almost without warning it will lose pressure in the lines.  It's terrifying and I won't drive it.  Patrick throws on the hand brake and just gets out and fills 'er up again with brake fluid.  At some point we will put more in brake fluid than we would into the repair, but it's hard to tell a man type guy that.