New nurses pass real-life test as Hwy. 97 crash heroes

Annie Turner and Rachel Punzalan became good friends as fellow nursing students. But a real life-or-death test came six months to the day after they were hired at two Portland hospitals. They happened to be the first on the scene Wednesday evening of a potentially fatal crash in Redmond – and medics credited their quick actions with saving the man’s life.

As a result, Randall Sullenger, 49, was recovering and in fair condition Thursday at St. Charles Bend, less than a day after he was struck by an SUV while crossing South Highway 97.

Redmond police Lt. Curtis Chambers said medics at the scene told investigators Sullenger survived the crash “as a direct result of two nurses who happened to be in the area and stopped to render aid.”

“We must have gotten there seconds after it happened,” Punzalan, 23, told NewsChannel 21 in a phone call with her and Turner Thursday evening.

Punzalan was at the wheel of her Subaru, with Turner riding in back, along with Turner’s dad and sister. They were headed to the home of Turner’s dad near Redmond to spend the night, after a few days spent visiting and skiing at Mt. Bachelor.

“I had noticed slowing cars in the left lane,” Punzalan said. “I just started to slow down. Soon I saw a lot of people rushing into the street, telling me to stop the car. I glanced over, noticed a man lying on the ground.”

Turner, 22, said her friend quickly jumped out, and soon was calling her name.

“We’d talked about if we ever came across something like this, what we would do,” Turner recalled. “She said my name. I immediately realized something was going on, saw the person lying in the middle of the road and hopped out.”

“I felt pretty prepared, was just jumping into the situation,” she said. “Everything else kind of faded away and we were doing what we trained to do.”

Turner said she initiated CPR, “did a couple rounds” of chest compressions. “I was getting tired, so I had Rachel start after me.”

In minutes, police were on the scene, and then medics.

The man “didn’t seem to be conscious, aware when we first arrived,” Turner said.

Punzalan said while Turner was doing chest compressions, “I was feeling for a pulse. Soon the cop was there. We paused to feel a pulse, all confirmed we felt one. Police started asking the guy questions. His eyes were fluttering, slowly nodding to the questions.”

The pair became friends as University of Portland sophomores, when they were roommates while studying abroad in Austria. Six months ago, both were hired by Providence Health System – Turner working in cardiology at Providence Medical Center in Portland, Punzalan as a medical-surgical nurse at Providence Milwaukie Hospital.

On the job, they’re also part of teams that save lives every day. But this … was different.

“We kind of hopefully help people every day to continue living, to be the healthiest they can be,” Turner said. “When you come across something like that, it’s what our job called us to do – do the best we can to help people.”

Punzalan added, “I’m still in a little bit of disbelief that we were there to help. It’s definitely a difference from the day-to-day help we can offer in our jobs. But to see immediately, in seconds, the result of what you did – it’s amazing to see.”

Turner also called it “amazing” how they were in the right place at the right time.

“We must have arrived seconds after it happened,” she said. “Rachel’s car was literally the first one there.”

The women also stressed that anyone can be a hero in such a situation, if they’re prepared to act. “Everyone should know how to do CPR,” Turner said, though she added it can be “hard to sometimes apply those skills.”

Punzalan said, “We were talking about how lucky it was we were together, to kind of confirm what we are seeing, have the confidence to start compressions.”

Ask them about what it feels like to be called a “hero,” and the women laugh. But while first responders credit the nurses with saving the man’s life, they quickly passed that credit back to those who do that often heroic front-line duty every day.

“First responders, paramedics do an amazing job,” Turner said. “They help us out. It’s an amazing collaboration.”