'Santa' Arrives Early For Injured LI Police Officer's Family

LONG ISLAND, NY — An injured Long Island police officer was given an early Christmas present he and his family will not soon forget, as colleagues who raised money for his family presented a check to him for $128,000 on Wednesday.

Suffolk Police Benevolent Association Vice President Lou Civello was joined by fellow cops at the home of Officer Timothy Thrane, who nearly died after being struck by a car in a chain reaction crash caused by an alleged drunken driver while directing traffic in Yaphank on Nov. 2. The Thrane children — ages 3, 5, and 11 years old — also received a surprise visit from "Santa Claus."

The money was raised by fellow officers, friends, and supporters through donations on the Fund the First crowd sourcing platform. The campaign itself was spearheaded by the PBA and Law Enforcement Officers Weekend with an initial goal to raise just $25,000 to help the Thranes make ends meet while the officer recovers from his injuries.

Thrane was released from Stony Brook Hospital earlier this month after spending three weeks in a medically-induced coma he placed in to help him recover from a brain bleed after the crash. In what supporters are calling a miracle, he spent only about one week in St. Charles Hospital's rehabilitation unit before he was discharged, allowing him to be home for Christmas.

At his discharge from St. Charles, his wife, Janelle, said that to have him home for Christmas is "the best outcome" his family could have expected "…that he was not even awake a week-and-a-half ago, and now he is coming home, it really is a miracle," she stated in a news release.

Thrane said he felt amazing when asked how it felt to be discharged in time for Christmas.

"I couldn't wait for this day. It's all I ever wanted," he stated.