South Austin hit and run victim returns home

A 23-year-old is finally returning home to Omaha, Nebraska. The active-duty Air Force firefighter was visiting Austin for a brief vacation, but instead, he has spent the last 24 days in a trauma unit on a respirator trying to survive.

AUSTIN, Texas – The 23-year-old, Dominic Dubas, finally returns home to Omaha, Nebraska. The active-duty Air Force firefighter was visiting Austin for a brief vacation, but instead, he has spent the last 24 days in a trauma unit on a respirator trying to survive.

Dominic was left in critical condition after a hit-and-run in South Austin on May 30. The doctors had given him a 1% chance of survival. Weeks later, he had gained enough strength to leave Austin, as an air ambulance officially transported him back home on Tuesday. 

It is a milestone that brings mixed emotions for a family headed into a years-long recovery with no criminal accountability in sight.

“It’s kind of bittersweet,” said his mother, Melissa Dubas. “I mean, I’m happy to have him here, but I just really wish they weren’t under these circumstances.”

The backstory:

Dominic and his friend were staying at an Airbnb near the 6800 block of South Congress Avenue, close to William Cannon Drive. Just before 10 p.m. on a Saturday, he went to a Walgreens across the street to get snacks.

Investigators believe Dominic was walking on the sidewalk when a vehicle going roughly 50 mph hit him. The driver left the scene.

Forty minutes later, a passerby spotted him and called police, initially thinking it was someone sleeping on the curb.

“The moment they choose to run after hitting somebody and injuring them or killing them, it’s a felony no matter what,” said Lt. William White of the Austin Police Department Highway Enforcement Division.

For nearly an hour after the impact, investigators allege the suspect circled the South Austin block for nearly an hour, watching first responders perform life-saving measures on Dubas, before abandoning his Lincoln vehicle just two miles away. The suspect also removed the license plate and registration sticker off the vehicle, which is another felony. 

“Every minute that my son laid there in blood was crucial to his survival,” Melissa Dubas said. “And I just don’t understand how somebody can hit somebody else and leave them for dead.”

Dig deeper:

Police have since identified a suspect, 20-year-old Rafael Guzman Avila, who reportedly entered the country illegally in 2024. According to the affidavit, Avila’s phone records showed him crossing the border back into Mexico that night.

When asked what the extradition process looks like for a local police department, Lt. White explained the complexity.

“You want to have a pretty solid location of where they are, then you go with a district attorney’s office to see if they’ll work with the Justice Department,” White said. “There’s a bunch of processes that they have to go through in order to work with the Justice Department to get that person extradited back to the United States.”

There is a warrant in all 50 states for the arrest of Avila for tampering with evidence and collision involving serious bodily injury. Both acts are third-degree felonies in Texas. However, investigators stated that Mexico will not extradite Avila because they do not penalize those crimes the same way. As long as he remains in Mexico, he will likely never be held accountable. 

Melissa said she is trying to have forgiveness in her heart because she believes that is how her son would respond.

“He would probably say in regard to Rafael that it was an accident and that he forgave him,” Melissa Dubas said. “My guess is that that’s what he would say. And so even though that’s hard for us because we’re in the midst of all the pain, I know that’s what he would think.”

As the investigation extends past the southern border, the focus in Omaha shifts entirely to the tough road ahead and the recovery already defying the odds.

Melissa said Dominic is in what they call a minimally conscious state. He just started communicating through blinks and hand squeezes, which is more than what they thought he would be able to do. She went on to compliment the kindness of Austinites and said the prayers have given her a sense of peace through all of this.

HOUSTON, Texas — The NHL is looking to start the expansion process in Texas, with Austin and Houston as potential targets, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

The expansion news is being discussed at the NHL’s board of governors meeting, which is being held on Tuesday in New York.

The NHL went from 30 to 32 clubs when it added the Vegas Golden Knights (began play in 2017-18) and Seattle Kraken (debuted in 2021-22). The expansion fee for Vegas was $500 million and for Seattle was $650 million.

Earlier this month at the Stanley Cup Final, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reiterated that the league has fielded calls from across North America from prospective cities and owners who are interested in bringing in an NHL franchise.

SEE HERE: It’s official: Aeros hockey team leaving Houston at end of season

Bettman has previously told the board of governors that any potential expansion team would likely come with at least a $2 billion fee for it to make sense.

The league has seen record revenues this season — projected to be between $7.5 billion and $8 billion. The NHL salary cap is set at $104 million for the 2026-27 season, a $8.5 million increase from this past season.