Alabama man who walked 4 hours roundtrip to work for 12-hour night shifts gets new car

For the past five years, Ernest Chandler has trekked two hours to work and two hours back because he didn't have a car.

The 53-year-old's home in Decatur, Alabama, is about 5½ miles from his environmental cleaning job, where he drives a water truck and works 12-hour shifts seven nights a week.

Though Chandler sometimes got rides from coworkers or friends, he often found himself making the four-hour roundtrip walk in good weather and bad.

Chandler's long commutes will now be a thing of the past after a trusted friend and co-worker decided to give him a life-changing gift: a car.

The men shared their heartwarming story with USA TODAY on Tuesday.

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Ernest Chandler trekked 5.5 miles to work because of promise

Chandler said he stuck it out at work despite his long commute because of a promise he made to a friend who was like a sister to him before her death three years ago.

He promised to always look out for her son, Brett Johnston, who lives with Chandler and stays home to take care of Johnston's wife, who has spina bifida, and stepfather, who suffers from mini strokes.

“It was a promise I made,” Chandler told USA TODAY. “That’s what I’m doing.”

Though Chandler did have a car at various points, he said he had to sell them "in order to maintain the bills and stuff in the house.”

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Ernest Chandler gets a new car

Chandler's long walks to work are behind him after friend Ronnie Dugger gave him a Ford Focus on Friday.

Dugger runs a nonprofit called the Jacob Bradley Dugger Foundation, named for his son Jacob, who had cerebral palsy and died in 2013 when he was 30 years old.

The nonprofit helps people with special needs get medical equipment they can’t afford. When Dugger heard about Chandler’s long walk to and from work, he stepped in to help.

“I was very surprised and very appreciative of it,” Chandler said.

The friends met at work a year and a half ago, when Dugger took Chandler under his wing.

Before getting the car on Friday, Chandler had to get his license reinstated because of previous fines and tickets, and get insured. Dugger helped him do that and his wife, Libby, let Chandler use her car for his road test.

“I'm really excited,” Chandler said. “I'm glad that we have some way of getting out of the house now. When we don't have a car, it's kind of hard to get around … I was trying to find a taxi or other friends that might be able to take us to the store.

"We’ve been stuck in the house for a long time," he added.

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Ronnie Dugger explains what inspired him to help friend

Dugger, who lives in Trinity, Alabama, said Tuesday that he wanted to help Chandler when he found out he has been walking so far to get to work.

“We just wanted to reach out to help him," Dugger said, adding that about 85% of Chandler's paycheck goes to helping Johnston and his family.

Someone at Nucor Steel Decatur sheet steel mill found out about Chandler’s story and donated a car to Dugger’s foundation. The Duggers worked with Cagle Front End and Tire to fix the vehicle before giving it to Chandler.

Dugger and his wife have been helping people through their nonprofit — started by Jacob — partially as a way to heal from their son's death. They were also inspired by Jacob's generosity.

“The last week of his life, he willed all of his medical equipment to people that needed it,” Dugger said. “I have storage that’s got wheelchairs, hospital beds and whatnot.”

As for their gift to Chandler, Dugger said he was glad to give a hand up to someone who's such a smart and good guy. He added that he and his wife use their own money to help people but they could use some help to keep up their work.

To help the Jacob Bradley Dugger Foundation, go to www.facebook.com/jbdfoundation. Donations can also be made by mailing checks to the JBD Foundation at P.O. Box 46 Trinity, Alabama 35673.

Helping people this way has helped Dugger through his grief, he said.

“I'm very passionate about what we do and when I'm able to help someone's, it helps me to keep from missing Jacob so much,” Dugger said. “He helped me heal through helping people.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alabama man who walked 4 hours roundtrip to work gets new car