A 7-year-old Dallas boy lost part of his leg after an alleged drunk driver slammed into his family’s car on New Year’s Day, causing it to flip on Central Expressway.
The crash has devastated a family and left young Saeed facing a lifetime of challenges after doctors were forced to amputate his leg below the knee.
Police arrested 23-year-old Michael Lavarius McRae on charges including intoxication assault with serious bodily injury and resisting arrest. The incident occurred just after 1 a.m. on January 1 as Saeed’s family drove home from New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Witnesses reported seeing McRae’s white Honda Civic weaving through traffic at high speeds for several miles before the collision.
The impact ejected Saeed from the vehicle, throwing him 60 feet onto the roadway.
Good Samaritans rushed to help the severely injured child before paramedics arrived. While doctors saved his life, they couldn’t save his leg.
“When I saw him on the ground, I thought that I would lose him,” said his mother, Ruksara Abbasova, Fox 4 reported. “It’s tragedy for me, tragedy because do you know how to see your child in this condition? You want to take his pain to you. You want to take his injuries to you, but you cannot.”
Saeed turned 8 just days after the crash. Despite remembering every detail of the accident, he maintains a remarkable outlook.
“He said, ‘The main thing is that I’m alive, I’m with you, mom, with my family. I know that I will be good. I will be better,'” Abbasova recalled.
The boy’s only request isn’t for toys or video games — he wants a therapy dog.
“He said, ‘I am so sad sometimes that I left. I lost my leg, but my pet helped me,'” his mother explained, per Fox 4.
McRae faces additional charges for failing to maintain vehicle insurance. He has been released on bond while Saeed remains hospitalized.
The family is raising funds to cover mounting medical expenses and fulfill Saeed’s wish for a therapy dog. Abbasova hopes sharing their story will prevent similar tragedies.
“Everyone needs to think about other people too, because you can change the life of the child, the family, for everyone,” she said.
