 Following their triumphant Earls Court appearances , Led Zeppelin took a holiday and planned an autumn tour in America , scheduled to open with two outdoor dates in San Francisco . In August 1975 , however , Plant and his wife Maureen were involved in a serious car crash while on holiday in Rhodes , Greece . Plant suffered a broken ankle and Maureen was badly injured ; a blood transfusion saved her life . Unable to tour , he headed to the Channel Island of Jersey to spend August and September recuperating , with Bonham and Page in tow . The band then reconvened in Malibu , California . During this forced hiatus much of the material for their next album , Presence , was written . 
