He Saved My Brother’s Life in 1968. Nearly Sixty Years Later, We Found Him.
The true story behind Chasing the Ambulance Driver—and how a search to say thank you became an unexpected friendship. In 1968, my brother Mike was five years old when he ran into the street and was struck by a drunk driver. He was dragged beneath the car. His injuries were severe, particularly to his foot. In the confusion that followed, a young ambulance driver from Buck Ambulance—an Oregon ambulance service that no longer exists under that name—arrived and helped keep Mike alive. His name was Jack. He was twenty-four years old. To our family, what happened that day became part of our history. My mother remembered the ambulance driver who remained calm while her little boy lay badly injured. Mike remembered much less. He was five, drifting in and out of consciousness, surrounded by adults trying to save his life. Jack eventually disappeared into the past. But Mike never completely forgot about him. Nearly sixty years later, he decided to find him. Searching for Jack This wasn’t a world where Mike could type a name into Google and immediately get an answer. He didn’t even have the driver’s name at first. He had the name of an ambulance company that
