Christian Nayet, a 60-year-old cancer sufferer from the northern town of Berck-sur-mer, rescued the driver on April 11 by taking him to a hospital in Lens, hospital emergency room manager Frederic Allienne told AFP on Wednesday.
Nayet told newspaper Voix du Nord the driver had suffered a heart attack while taking him to a hospital in Lille for a regular scan.
“I told him: ‘Give me the keys, trust me! My life is not in danger, but yours is!'” Nayet said.
“I couldn’t find the siren, but I managed to turn the lights on and told him to put his arm out the window to signal to the cars to let us pass.”
They drove into the area reserved for ambulances, Allienne said, and the ambulance driver was immediately admitted to the emergency room. During the drive, Nayet had also administered a blood anticoagulant to the driver.
Without his assistance, the driver “could have died,” Allienne said.
Nayet was then taken to another hospital for his scheduled tests.