'A True Miracle' For Man Injured In Motorcycle Crash

WADING RIVER, NY — A Wading River man who sustained a traumatic brain injury after a motorcycle crash in early June took a turn for the better Tuesday, family and friends said.

Nicholas Coutts was riding his motorcycle and heading home on June 7, traveling on Wading River Manor Road, when a car hit him, family friend Debbie Horton said.

In the days since, Coutts has been in Stony Brook University Hospital's intensive car unit and has needed numerous surgeries, with many more to come; he has endured a brain bleed and had a pressure bolt to monitor and relieve any further injury to the brain, his family said.

In addition to the TBI, Coutts sustained multiple cervical fractures, a badly broken femur and renal bleed, his family added.

While the days have been filled with uncertainty, on Tuesday, Horton said, Coutts' mother Tess Nopper "convinced doctors to take him off the vent because she felt he didn’t need it. She knew her Nick was trying to tell her something. They finally agreed and then before they knew it they extubated him and he was breathing on his own and even talking."

The doctors, she said, "were overwhelmed. Although the road ahead will be long and have its ups and downs, Nick will recover. It's a true miracle."

But the medical bills are daunting. To that end, a spaghetti dinner to benefit Coutts will be held Wednesday at Jeni's Main Street Bistro, located at 62375 Main Road in Southold, beginning at 5 p.m.

"Please join us as we gather to benefit the medical needs of Nicholas Coutts," the announcement for the fundraiser read. "All proceeds will go directly toward the medical requirements and equipment that will aid Nick on his road to recovery."

The dinner costs $28 per person. "Together, we will help Nick begin this journey. On behalf of Nick, his family, and his friends, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity and support."

The North Fork community has rallied fiercely to help Coutts, with bracelets being sold, car decals, Touchstone jewelry sales with "extreme" discounts, a 50/50 at Wendy’s Deli, and Wednesday night's fundraiser dinner.

"Prayer is what is really needed most," Horton said.

A Facebook page, Coutts' Corner, has been created to provide updates to the many who care.