A Santee man is hoping to reunite with an off-duty paramedic who came to his rescue last Wednesday.
Bruce Patch was riding his motorcycle westbound on State Route 52 near Mast Boulevard Wednesday around 5:30 a.m. when he says a car hit his motorcycle. The impact threw his body, breaking bones and causing road rash.
Patch told NBC 7 Monday that, other than the driver, only an off-duty paramedic stopped to help. He said the man used his pick-up truck to stop traffic. Then he came to Patch’s side, asking questions about his alertness, injuries, name and emergency contact information.
Patch said the Good Samaritan didn’t stop there. When Patch called his wife and she was overwhelmed, he got on the cell phone and helped calm her.
“It just takes a special person to take that time and effort to reach out to these strangers who he doesn't know and make sure to make sure, not only the person who’s hurt is doing okay, but his spouse,” Patch said.
Once firefighters arrived, the off-duty paramedic left the scene. Patch wasn’t able to remember his name.
He and his wife are now on a mission to reach out to him and thank him for his kindness.
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Patch is now recovering. He said the road to recover is a long one. He believes the stranger’s kindness may have saved his life.
"A lot of people passed me on the freeway, but he stopped to make sure if I needed it he would be there to help,” he said.
Patch also hopes sharing the story will encourage people to help others.
