Sacramento, California (CNN) An injured hiker waiting for help saved the life of his rescuer. Doctor Jeremy Kilburn was hiking in California with a friend Thursday. The pair were near Big Bear Lake when Kilburn broke his leg. But after the California Highway Patrol chopper touched down-- a helicopter blade struck paramedic Tony Stanley as he was exiting. That's when Kilburn says his adrenanline and instinct kicked in. My best friend comes running up the hill with this like, ashen look on his face and he's like, 'dude, the rotor just hit this guy I think he's dead. He wasn't breathing very well and there were periods he wasn't breathing at all. And I was ready to start putting a tracheal tube down his airway when he started coughing and moving his hands. During the 41-mile flight to the hospital, another hiker helped hold I-V bags and apply pressure to control the bleeding. Stanley is in critical condition in the hospital.