PG&E Coworker Saves the Life of an Injured Bicyclist

In late February, Chris Linton was driving with his mother and two children from lunch in his hometown of Buellton, about 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara. His mother, Linda,  saw a man lying face down in the road. The man, who was on his bicycle, had been hit by a car.

Linton, a Safety and Infrastructure Protection Team technician out of Hollister, told his mom to call 911, and then his training as a certified Emergency Medical Technician kicked in.

“I knew what to do,” said Linton. “I figured I should help.”

‘I didn’t know if I could revive him’

Linton pulled his vehicle to the side and made sure his passengers were safe. While his mother was calling 911, he went to assist the injured person.

Linton rolled the injured cyclist over on his back, didn’t feel a pulse, and saw he turned blue and wasn’t breathing. After Linton performed 60 chest compressions, the man started breathing very slowly and developed a strong pulse just as the Santa Barbara Fire Department and county sheriff arrived.

“I didn’t know if I could revive him,” said Linton, who had never assisted someone while off-the- clock. “I didn’t think I could help someone in full cardiac arrest by just giving him chest compressions. It does work, but I didn’t expect it because without an AED, I just didn’t know what was going to happen.”

‘Glad he’s doing better’

Recently, the county sheriff’s office told Linton the man came out of intensive care at the hospital and is slowly recovering from a broken pelvis, fractured ribs and a brain bleed.

“I’m just glad to hear that he’s doing better,” said Linton, who joined PG&E after serving 15 years in the U.S. Forest Service as an EMT. “I’m sure it’s going to be a long recovery, but it sounds like he’s going in the right direction.”