Heart Attack Victim Thanks Farmington Hills Police, Paramedics for Saving His Life

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James Ellis almost died last month.

On Tuesday, the 40-year-old Ellis credited Farmington Hills police with saving his life, according to a new release from the city.

Ellis suffered a heart attack while driving, lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a utility pole on Orchard Lake Road on Aug. 24. When police arrived, the motor of his vehicle was still running, it was still in gear and its wheels were spinning at a high rate of speed. Ellis was slumped over and unresponsive. His skin was beginning to turn blue.

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Officers broke the window to his vehicle and began doing CPR. All Farmington Hills police vehicles are equipped with automatic external defibrillators (AED), and police used the device to shock Ellis twice.

He regained his pulse, but was barely breathing. Paramedics protected his airway by intubating him, and increased his blood pressure with with intravenous fluid. He was transported to Beaumont Hospital - Farmington Hills, where he was treated. After a few days, he was released from the hospital.

With members of his family looking on at the news conference, Ellis expressed his gratitude.

“I’m just really glad that everybody was where they were and did what they did to save my life,” he said, according to WXYZ-TV. “I’m just grateful.”

Police said they were just doing their jobs.

But that with so much negative publicity directed toward police officers, Ellis’ thank-you came at an opportune time.

“It’s the good things like this that we want to portray to people,” Commander Mike Ciaramitaro said. “We want to to let the public know this is why we got into this business. We want to help people.”