In 1968, my five-year-old brother Mike was struck by a drunk driver. His injuries were serious, and our family had no way of knowing whether he would survive.

An ambulance arrived, and a young driver helped save Mike's life. Our mother remembered how calmly the driver spoke to Mike, encouraging him to stay awake as he struggled to remain conscious.

His name was Jack Reynolds.

Mike Uselton, age five, three weeks before the 1968 accident.

Mike survived and built a life of his own, but he never forgot the ambulance driver who helped him. Decades later, encouraged by his wife, Coleen, he decided to find Jack and thank him personally. The search took years. That search inspired my novel, Chasing the Ambulance Driver, in which Mike finally reaches Jack and begins a friendship that changes both their lives.

Jack is 82 when Mike finally reaches him. Their first conversation leads to regular telephone calls, visits, and a friendship neither man expected.

Jack Reynolds and Mike Uselton, as portrayed in the novel Chasing the Ambulance Driver.

Jack hadn't planned on becoming an ambulance driver. He took the job because they were hiring and later moved on to a better-paying position as an electrician. He also enjoyed reading Shakespeare. As his friendship with Mike develops, Jack begins visiting the family. He gets to know our mother and all three brothers, becoming someone they look forward to seeing.

Jack even attends a play involving one of Mike's granddaughters. It's one of my favorite scenes in the novel, showing how deeply Jack becomes part of Mike's family.

I've wondered how many people Jack helped during his years as an ambulance driver. He probably never learned what happened to most of them. With Mike, he finally had the chance to see how one of those stories turned out.

Their friendship became the heart of my novel, Chasing the Ambulance Driver, inspired by true events and scheduled for release on November 24, 2026. It's an emotional story about survival, loss, gratitude, and an unlikely friendship that began with a childhood tragedy.

Chasing the Ambulance Driver — Mike Uselton’s Story. Cover art.

Writing about our family's past and the friendship Mike develops with Jack in the novel made this one of the most personal stories I've ever told.

Jack may never have realized how much his actions meant to our family.

I'm grateful my brother never forgot him.

About the Author

Dan Uselton is an Oregon author of psychological thrillers, dystopian fiction, and nonfiction. His upcoming novel, Chasing the Ambulance Driver, is inspired by his brother's real-life search for the ambulance driver who helped save his life in 1968. The book releases November 24, 2026.

Author website: DanUseltonAuthor.com

Book: Chasing the Ambulance Driver — Amazon