Three months after a motorcycle crash, a Mansfield police officer reunited with one of two nurses he said saved his life.
It was October 28 when Mansfield Police Officer Jim Polley wrecked his motorcycle while driving home from work.
“I knew there was going to be an accident. I tried everything I could to avoid it,” said Polley.
He went in and out of consciousness but has one vivid memory.
“There are two ladies there and they’re both telling me they’re nurses and for me to lie still,” he said.
One of those women was Michelle Russ, a school nurse and Major in the United States Army.
“I saw officer Polly laying on the ground,” said Russ. “So I just pulled over really quick and instincts started to kick in.”
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Then they went their separate ways. Russ went on about her life and officer Polley to the hospital to recover.
Polley said he wasn’t accustomed to being on the other side of an emergency.
“This was the first time it was me. And when they stopped and threw themselves in between danger and me, they took on that challenge,” he said.
Polley wanted desperately to find the two women who stopped and rendered aid.
“It’s hard to call up a hospital to say, ‘are any of your nurses talking about helping a police officer in a motorcycle accident?’” he said.
NBC 5 aired a story on Tuesday, telling viewers Polley was looking for two nurses. Someone saw the story and told Russ she might be the person Officer Polley was looking for.
On Thursday, Polley and Russ met again for the second time. This time Polley had a chance to say, ‘thank you.’
Russ said the encounter was out of necessity. She doesn’t consider herself a hero.
“I’m just glad that he can continue his career and still serve people,” she said.
Polley said she’s a conduit of God’s grace.
“This is just another one of those life’s blessings that I’ve received, and I really hope that at the end of all this, I earn it.”
Officer Polley treated nurse Russ and her family to a steak dinner tonight. He’s back on duty and still in search of the other nurse who stopped to help him that day.
