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A “miracle” motorcycle cop who was “internally decapitated” in a violent wreck during a funeral procession was released from a Long Island hospital Thursday — with 200 cops cheering him on.
Michael Hyland, 53, who was nearly killed when his Harley-Davidson motorcycle collided with a Toyota Tundra in Lindenhurst during the Oct. 6 procession, is lucky to even be alive, his doctor told reporters.
“When I say he was broken from head-to-toe, I am being extremely literal,” Dr. James Vosswinkel said. “Mike hit so hard that he separated his spine from the skull — what we call an internal decapitation — which is usually fatal.
“For someone to sustain those injuries at his age and survive — it’s truly incredible,” Vosswinkel said.
Hyland was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip following the crash, and was placed on a ventilator and life support before being transferred to Stony Brook University Hospital.
His life-threatening injuries include a traumatic brain injury, a fractured vertebra in his neck, a broken shoulder, fractures to all his ribs, a broken pelvis, femur, hip and tibia, and a kidney injury.
The crash also separated Hyland’s spine from his skull — the typically fatal internal decapitation.
His recovery was considered so miraculous that even President Trump sent his best wishes.
The veteran cop eventually underwent more than a half dozen surgeries — but miraculously recovered and was finally released from the Stony Point hospital to a hero’s ovation.
“Today, our brother, Police Officer Michael Highland, will start his next phase in his recovery — going out to rehab,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said.
“We’ve got to slow down,” Ryder said. “We’ve got to think before we operate these cars. The roads have just gotten out of control. There were two bad accidents in Nassau County alone this morning — a 14-year-old kid lost his life walking to school.”
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