On Tuesday, June 21, seven-year-old Benjamin Dufour was struck by an impaired driver, leaving him battling serious injuries.
Dufour, along with his older brother and several classmates were waiting for a school bus when a 47-year-old man hit Dufour, and then a number of vehicles and a house.
Regina EMS transported him to Regina General Hospital, where he was stabilized after several hours.
According to a statement from the Dufour family, “once stable, Ben was immediately airlifted to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon to treat his multiple, serious injuries. He is in critical condition, is intubated and sedated.”
The family said Dufour’s list of injuries include a broken femur, broken humerus, broken pelvis, broken ribs, broken sternum, skull fractures and soft tissue damage to his c-spine.
He is currently stable and has undergone several surgeries, but the big unknown is the traumatic brain injury.
“We know that the recovery process for Ben is very long at the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital,” the family said.
“Once he can return to Regina, frequent trips to Saskatoon will be necessary. We have been told that rehab for Ben will be a long and gruelling process.”
A fundraising campaign for Ben has been established and has raised more than $28,890 as of Monday afternoon.
The provincial court date for 47-year-old Charles Howard Raycraft, the man who struck Dufour while allegedly driving impaired, has not been set.
Raycraft, of Regina, was charged with:
- Dangerous operation of a vehicle causing bodily harm
- Impaired operation of a vehicle by alcohol or drug, causing bodily harm