TULSA -- A man who spends hours talking to teens about the dangers of drinking and driving recently had his car and trailer stolen from a church parking lot. He uses the car to show students the impact of driving while impaired.
You can hear when Chris Birch is coming.
"I have no memory of the wreck or the first month in the hospital," he said.
As he stares at his old car, a memory will forever be etched in his mind, when a drunk driver hit the now 64-year-old in 2000.
"It means something to me," Birch said.
He was diagnosed with a lower brain stem injury.
"I'm very blessed to be alive," Birch said.
There's no resale value to the car but more so a valuable lesson Birch and his wife are teaching teenagers across Tulsa.
"Over the years we've probably been through every school in town," Birch said.
The car, which is kept on a trailer, was stolen over the weekend. Luckily the car was found at an empty residence. Oddly enough, it was found without the trailer and attached to a tree by a suspension rope.
"He does crash court, a victim impact panel and he is using that to try to help people learn and avoid some of the mistakes that somebody made that dramatically changed his life," Memorial Baptist Church Senior Pastor Jacob Bice said.
The trailer is still missing, which leaves Birch without a chance to show others how drinking and driving can change a person's life.
"Maybe whoever stole that trailer will be watching and they'll be in tears by the end of the program... question what they did," Bice said.
Birch enters the youth center at Memorial Baptist Church and opens a box with articles from his past.
"That's what we try to get across to these kids, you're not invincible," Birch said.
As I read each one, it's obvious Birch is a living hero who just wants to tell his story.
A police report has been filed. If you see the trailer or have information as to its whereabouts, call police.
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