Nursing student helps save man’s life after motorcycle crash in Clay

The song “Stayin’ Alive” was in Andrea Elia’s head — not from her playlist, but from her CPR training.

The song’s beat helped her keep time as she did CPR to save a man’s life after he was thrown from his motorcycle in a crash in Clay.

Around 2:50 p.m. Oct. 17, Elia was driving out of the Bryant & Stratton College on Route 57 in Clay, where she’s a nursing student. She stopped and heard the distinct revving of a motorcycle engine.

“I looked left, saw the motorcycle, followed it with my eyes,” she said. “And then — boom — he hit a car. I saw his body go flying.”

The crash, near the Splash Car Wash Express, sent Michael J. Rubino, 30, into the air. His Kawasaki had slammed into the side of a BMW pulling out of the car wash.

Rubino was lying in the road, not moving.

Elia said she didn’t think. She left her car in the middle of the road and ran to the man.

Elia remembers bending down and finding Rubino had no pulse and no signs of breathing.

A state trooper arrived moments later. Elia asked what she could do to help. He told her CPR was needed and Elia began chest compressions in the middle of the road.

Elia said she didn’t stop giving the man CPR. Not for the traffic — which was still passing dangerously close. Not for the exhaustion. Not even when she wasn’t sure she had the strength to keep going.

“I was singing ‘Stayin’ Alive’ in my head to keep the rhythm,” she said. “I didn’t know if I was strong enough. I’d just left class and I hadn’t eaten. But I knew this man’s life was in my hands.”

Elia said she maintained the proper rhythm for chest compressions by following the tempo of the Bee Gees’ song “Stayin’ Alive,” which is commonly used in CPR training to help guide the correct pace and depth.

Elia — a third-semester nursing student at the college and CPR/AED certified — had practiced this in school on dummies and in labs.

“I’ve done CPR in class a hundred times,” she said. “But this was real. This was life or death.”

She believes she had done CPR for almost five minutes when a man ran up and offered to help. The two switched off.

Within minutes, more help arrived. Off-duty nurses stopped to assist and a retired EMT helped stabilize Rubino’s neck. They removed his helmet and used an Ambu bag — a hand-held bag resuscitator — to help him breathe.

Gregory Keener, who works at Liverpool High School nearby, had just finished washing and vacuuming his truck at the car wash when he looked up to see a motorcycle lying in the road and its rider about 30 feet away. Certified in CPR and first aid, Keener said he recognized the seriousness of the situation and ran toward the scene.

Helping the injured motorcyclist quickly became a group effort. Several nurses, including Elia, were already there providing aid. Keener said he introduced himself and told them he was trained in CPR. The nurses asked him to take over chest compressions while they assisted with other tasks.

Keener, 46, of Parish, said he focused on the man’s chest, keeping rhythm as another responder helped guide his timing. After several rounds of compressions, he began to feel the man’s chest move — a sign he might be breathing again.

Elia said at one point she heard one of Rubino’s ribs crack — something that can happen during CPR. She saw it as a sign they were doing the CPR correctly.

Then Rubino moaned.

“I knew in that moment we got him back,” she said.

Moments later, a state trooper arrived with emergency equipment, and responders continued efforts to stabilize the victim until paramedics took over.

“I was shaken up afterward,” Kenner said. “I told my girlfriend, ‘At least we gave him a shot to fight.’ And he did.”

Soon, Rubino was rushed to Upstate University Hospital in critical condition.

After the crash, Elia noticed a few of her nursing classmates had pulled over nearby but didn’t intervene because they weren’t certified. She said they came over and embraced her.

Troopers on the scene couldn’t confirm who gave CPR to the victim but said a number of people provided aid, according to Trooper Jennifer Jiron, a spokesperson for the State Police.

Elia said a neighbor of Rubino’s family found her on Facebook days later. They helped Rubino’s father connect with Elia, and he reached out to her, she said. He thanked her for saving for his son’s life.

She said she’s now in regular contact with them — getting daily updates on Rubino’s recovery.

Elia said Rubino’s father told her his son had undergone successful pelvic surgery and was showing slow but steady improvement. Doctors are starting breathing trials, and neurologists have cleared him for additional treatment.

Keenr later learned through friends that the injured rider survived the crash and was recovering. Knowing that outcome, Keener said, made the chaos and shock of that afternoon easier to process.

Elia said she’s still processing it all.

She said her response to the crash was instinctive — a reflection of her desire to make a difference in people’s lives, regardless of the outcome. Knowing she did her best in that moment, she said, was what mattered most.

Elia, 41, of Baldwinsville, said she pursued nursing after losing family members in motor vehicle crashes. She is seeking a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Elia said she felt called to the profession and inspired by the compassion and care of the nurses who supported her loved ones during their most difficult moments.

A former bank teller, Elia changed careers after her two children reached adulthood and her family was financially stable. With her husband’s support, she left her job and enrolled in nursing school — a decision that she said she felt fully validated Oct. 17.

Elia said the moment of helping at the crash scene was overwhelming but clarifying. She had long questioned whether she was cut out for trauma or emergency care and was undecided what route in the medical field she planned to pursue.

“I used to think, ‘No way could I do that. I’d be too emotional,’” she said. “But now? I proved something to myself. I’m stronger than I thought.”

The moment was life-changing, she said — not just for the person she helped, but for her own future.

Elia said she lost her cousin and grandfather to car crashes.

“I’ve been sitting in these feelings all weekend,” she said. “My cousin never got a second chance. If I can give Michael and his family more time, I’ve done my job.”