Bay Shore crash victim thanks Suffolk cops

A car crash victim from Bay Shore met the Suffolk police officers who pulled him from the wreck and saved his life. Last December, James Ness struck a telephone pole on the service road of Sunrise

News 12 Staff

Dec 24, 2014, 4:59 AM

Updated 3,709 days ago

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A car crash victim from Bay Shore met the Suffolk police officers who pulled him from the wreck and saved his life.
Last December, James Ness struck a telephone pole on the service road of Sunrise Highway. The impact took down the pole and electric wires - knocking power out to the area.
Ness was in a coma for 15 days and has been recovering from a traumatic brain injury, broken jaw and skull, and injuries to multiple organs.
Ness came face to face with Officer John McAuley and Officer Michael Tenety, who he credits with saving his life.
"For the past year, I wanted to thank them from the bottom of my heart, and today I got the chance to," said Ness.
Officers Tenety and McAuley frequently answer accident calls, but Officer McAuley says these opportunities are rare.
"This is the first time I've been a Christmas gift," said McAuley.
Since the accident, Ness has had to relearn how to walk, talk and remember the past.
To repay his debt for his life, Ness says he wants to live helping other people. He plans to return to college next year and eventually become a physics teacher.