Bicyclist injured in crash rescued by retired nurse, police officer in Palos Verdes Estates

A Southern California bicyclist recalled the night a retired nurse and police officer saved his life after a crash. Allen James, 61, was biking near the intersection of Paseo Del Mar and Palos Verdes Drive West in Palos Verdes Estates when he crashed. The sudden impact sent him flying over the handlebars and his body slammed through the windshield of a parked car. The collision left James, who was an Olympic racewalker, with severe injuries. "I had my neck wide open, and that was a main concern because I was bleeding significantly,” Allen told KTLA’s Sandra Mitchell. “I had scrapes on my arms and left knee and my left rib was broken." As he lay on the road, he said he was very disoriented and near death. Rachel Ebright, a retired nurse, was driving nearby when she spotted James lying on the road. She quickly pulled over and ran over to help. "I told him to stay with me,” she recalled. "Whenever he flexed his neck, there was massive arterial spray, so I had to restrain a 6-foot-3 elite athlete and try to keep him down." John Zabukovec, an officer with the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department, arrived at the scene soon after and also stepped in to help. “There was an overwhelming sense of chaos,” he said when he first arrived. “I knew immediately that I needed to apply life-saving measures." James was rushed to a nearby hospital where he received emergency surgery and later recovered. On Feb. 24, at a Palos Verdes Estates city council meeting, James reunited with Ebright and Zabukovec, who were honored for their life-saving efforts. Four months after the crash, James is back on his bike and riding again. His rescuers said they were grateful to be in the right place at the right time. Both Ebright and Zabukovec encourage everyone to learn basic CPR training and to try and help others out whenever they can. "More people need to know that there are good people out there and we need to be good to each other and should stop to help one another,” Ebright said.