A Santee man is hoping to track down the stranger who walked past traffic to help him after a serious motorcycle accident.
Last Wednesday, at about 5 a.m., Bruce Patch was on his way to work on westbound state Route 52, right before the Mast Boulevard exit, when he said he saw brake lights up ahead and heard screeching.
"I saw a truck getting into my lane. Next thing I knew, I was rolling on the freeway," Patch said.
Patch ended up on his back, his body lying halfway on the highway.
"I just remember pain radiating from the left side," said Patch.
A few minutes later, he heard something.
"I just remember someone yelling, 'Are you OK? Are you OK?'" said Patch.
Patch said a man in his 30s ran up to him and told him he was a paramedic and off duty.
"I looked over and saw his truck was parked in a way that nobody could run me over," said Patch.
Patch said the man tended to him and reassured him, and then his wife Claudia, when Patch got her on the phone.
"I feel by the grace of God he was placed there at the right time. I went from panic to OK, here's the next step … He is our guardian angel," said Claudia Patch.
Twenty minutes after the stranger arrived on scene, the ambulance arrived and collected the injured Patch.
He suffered a litany of injuries, including a ruptured Achilles, a fractured foot and dislocated fingers and shoulder.
Patch never got a chance to thank the stranger.
"He's a special, special man," said Patch.
The couple took to social media, posting details on sites like the East County Emergency Updates Facebook page in hopes of tracking down the man they called a hero.
"He definitely kept me safe. These days, people don't want to get involved. He got involved. I just want to say thanks. Thanks for being there," said Patch.
If you have any information on the Good Samaritan, email tips@10news.com.
