ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A tragic hit-and-run in Austin, Texas transformed 23-year-old Dominic Dubas’s life in a moment, hundreds of miles from his family in Nebraska, and thousands of miles from Anchorage where he’s been stationed for 4 years.
An airmen and firefighter whose first duty station was JBER, Dominic’s family said he loved Alaska so much, he extended his time here beyond the initial 3 years. On May 30, Dominic was on a trip to Austin with a friend when he was struck by a vehicle while walking to the store. The vehicle drove away, and after lying in the street for minutes, he was transported to the hospital, where his family say he’s on life support.
“Dominic keeps pushing and fighting no matter how much pain he’s in, he’s not a quitter,” said Dominic’s mother, Melissa Dubas. “I guess that’s… that’s the hope that I’m hanging on to is that that’s who I, that’s who my son is. He’s a fighter.”
Dominic’s life began amid frightening circumstances as well. Melissa said she was in a car accident in 2002, leading to her being hospitalized with a broken pelvis, a collapsed lung, fractured ribs, a torn bladder, and other injuries.
At the time, doctors informed her she was pregnant, but that the baby might not survive, or he might be born with complications.
“That was scary to go through that and also, trying to let my body heal,” Melissa Dubas said. “At the same time, you know, I’m trying to grow a baby and he was — I mean, he turned out perfect.
“And he — we couldn’t have asked for a better, a better — a better baby.”
Since then, Dominic’s family say he’s had such a “vibrant personality” with “eyes that light up a room.”
After moving to Anchorage, his family says he embraced the Last Frontier wholeheartedly.
“We went up in 2023 his face lit up showing us the base where he worked, the fighter jets on the tarmac, I think it’s called, showing us places, the fish, took us down to like this, water running where you catch a salmon, stuff like that,” said Dominic’s cousin, Jaden Dubas. “He loves showing us the glaciers down there.”
“He absolutely loves Alaska and all that it has to offer, and it was just, I think, one of the most amazing experiences for him to be able to be there,” said Dominic’s aunt, Dena Dubas.
A son, brother, baseball player, umpire and Airman, support for Dominic and his family has poured in from all corners of the globe.
“I have everybody sending me pictures and sharing their stories and special times and special talks and letting me know like how much Dominic meant to them,” Melissa Dubas said. “It just — it’s those things that keep me fighting for Dominic and it keeps me waking up and it, and it helps me to continue just knowing how much love and support that he has and how everybody loves and cares about him.
“It makes me feel like I’m not alone.”
Following the hit-and-run, Dominic’s family is looking for any information that may help find the person responsible for the accident, and welcoming and prayer and support for Dominic’s recovery.
“We know he’s strong and we just know that he can beat the odds, but we’re praying for a miracle,” Dena Dubas said. “We need a miracle. We need all the prayers and love and support through this time.”
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