A New Year’s Day crash on Central Expressway left a 7-year-old Dallas boy with life-altering injuries, including the loss of a leg, after he was ejected from his family’s car and found about 60 feet away on the roadway, authorities said. The suspected driver, identified by police as 23-year-old Michael Lavarius McRae, was arrested on charges including intoxication assault causing serious bodily injury and resisting arrest and was later released on bond.
The case has gripped Dallas because of its timing and severity. Police say the collision happened just after 1 a.m. Jan. 1 as the family headed north following New Year’s Eve festivities. Witnesses reported a white Honda Civic weaving through lanes at high speed before striking the family’s vehicle, which flipped. The boy, identified by relatives as Saeed, was thrown from the back seat and rushed to a hospital, where doctors performed an emergency amputation. His mother said he turned 8 a few days later. Investigators are reviewing witness statements and roadway evidence while prosecutors evaluate the arrest report and related records.
In the immediate aftermath, passing drivers stopped and tried to help as smoke and debris hung over the expressway. The boy’s mother, Ruksara Abbasova, described spotting her son “lying on the ground” surrounded by blood and fearing he would die before paramedics arrived. “When I saw him on the ground, I thought that I would lose him,” she said in an interview, recalling the minutes before an ambulance took him from the scene. Police said the rest of the family remained inside the overturned car and were treated at the scene. The child was found roughly 60 feet away from the wreckage, according to the preliminary account shared with local media.
Authorities identified the suspect driver as McRae and said he showed signs of intoxication when officers reached the crash site. Witnesses told police the car believed to be McRae’s had been speeding and weaving for several miles before impact. Officers listed multiple counts in the arrest booking, including intoxication assault with serious bodily injury, failure to maintain financial responsibility and resisting arrest. Officials said McRae was processed and later released on bond; the amount was not disclosed in statements shared publicly. Investigators have not announced additional arrests, and police did not immediately specify a blood-alcohol level or whether a toxicology sample was obtained at the hospital or jail.
Family members said the boy remembers the crash and has spoken softly about what he lost and what he still has. “I lost my leg,” he said from his hospital room, according to the family’s account shared with reporters, adding that he was grateful to be alive with his mother and relatives at his side. Abbasova said her son asked for a therapy dog as he starts a long recovery. Flowers and cards have collected near the family’s room, and friends have relayed messages from classmates who last saw him before winter break. Nurses described a steady stream of visitors who filtered in between procedures and physical therapy sessions.
Dallas police said the collision remains under investigation. Detectives are collecting additional witness statements and any available dashcam footage from vehicles that traveled alongside the suspect car before the crash. Traffic investigators marked gouge points and tire paths on the expressway and measured distances from the rollover to where the child was found. Officers said the family’s vehicle will receive a mechanical inspection as part of the standard reconstruction sequence. Officials have not released the make and model of the family’s car or the precise lane configuration at the moment of impact. Police did not report any other vehicles struck.
The crash occurred along a busy stretch of U.S. 75, known locally as Central Expressway, which channels post-midnight traffic out of downtown on New Year’s Eve. Troopers and city officers typically add patrols across North Texas for impaired driving around the holiday, but serious crashes still stack up during the early hours of Jan. 1. In past years, regional law enforcement agencies have reported dozens of arrests in the first hours of the new year tied to suspected intoxicated driving. Safety officials say high speeds, congestion and celebration schedules often converge along the corridor after midnight, creating conditions for catastrophic wrecks.
Hospital staff said the boy underwent an emergency below-the-knee amputation and remains in recovery. Doctors did not publicly discuss further procedures but noted that pediatric trauma teams coordinate closely with rehabilitation specialists in the early days after such an injury. The family said he faces additional surgeries and a long path toward mobility aids. Relatives, neighbors and strangers have contacted the family offering help, and social workers have briefed them on resources that can assist with home adjustments once the boy is discharged. The school district has been in touch about tutoring and arranging remote lessons if needed.
On the legal side, prosecutors will review the police file and any blood-test results before filing formal counts in court. Intoxication assault is a felony in Texas when serious bodily injury results from a crash involving an impaired driver. Case timelines vary; officials typically schedule an initial court setting after charges are accepted and the district clerk assigns a cause number. Police records show McRae was cited for failure to maintain financial responsibility following the crash in addition to the felony count and resisting arrest allegation. Authorities have not released a target date for the first hearing or indicated whether a grand jury review will be sought.
Neighbors who learned about the crash described the story as “gutting” in social posts and messages shared with local reporters. A roadside memorial has not been announced given that the wreck unfolded on a high-speed corridor, but cards and drawings have piled up around the family’s space at the hospital. “He said, ‘The main thing is that I’m alive … I know that I will be better,’” Abbasova said in comments relayed through the station that interviewed her. A passerby who stopped to help the family at the scene told reporters she saw other drivers block a lane with their vehicles to shield the child until officers arrived.
As of Wednesday, police said the investigation remains active while the boy continues rehabilitation at a children’s hospital. Officials said any update on charges will follow when evidence reviews and lab work are complete. The next milestone is the formal filing decision and a scheduled court date for the suspect, followed by additional medical updates from the family as the child’s condition evolves.
Author note: Last updated January 21, 2026.