Dumas at home, continues to recover; family needs helping planting hop

Scott Dumas

By Rob Alway. Editor-in-Chief.

AMBER TWP. — Scott Dumas, the Mason County Central Middle School teacher who was a victim of a hit and run crash last month, is back home, after almost a month in the hospital.

Dumas has a long road of recovery ahead, but his wife, Kathy, reports that he has exceeded doctors’ expectations.

“It feels so good to be home,” Kathy wrote on the Scott Dumas Care Page on Facebook. “Scott is able to sleep better which allows his brain to heal. We are arranging and organizing the house differently to help Scott have access to areas and items from his wheelchair. We are still trying to figure out a morning schedule. At this point, it takes us almost three hours to accomplish everything we need to do to start our day. That’s way too long.  We will get better at this. We just have to keep working hard.”

The family is in a bit of a dilemma, however. Scott is not only a teacher, he is a farmer as well. He was planning on growing hop at their South Stiles Road farm.

“The day of Scott’s accident, we had started a new adventure – a hop farm,” Kathy said. “While Scott was in the hospital, friends helped with getting the field ready and took care of many details in preparation of the actual planting of the hops.  Our original plan was that Scott, my brother Cary and I were going to take a few hours each day for about a week to plant our field.  Because of the accident, Scott can no longer help in this endeavor.”

This Saturday, May 17, starting at 9 a.m. there will be a “Hop Planting Party” at the farm.

“We will provide the beverages and food you just need to bring your work gloves,” Kathy said.

The farm is located on the west side of Stiles Road about a quarter mile south of First Street.

Anyone interested should email Kathy at maeflydumas@gmail.com.

Background of hit and run.

On April 16, Scott was walking across the parking lot at Shop-N-Save grocery store in Pere Marquette Township when he was struck by a car driving through the traffic lane. The car left the scene. Within 30 minutes of the crash, officers from Ludington Police Department and deputies from Mason County Sheriff’s Office arrested Brian Keith Blackburn, 24, of 603 N. Delia St., Ludington.

Blackburn has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing serious injury, a 5-year-maximum felony; failure to stop at a scene of an accident resulting in serious impairment, a 5-year maximum felony; two counts of assault/resisting/obstructing a police officer, 2-year maximum felonies; possession of marijuana, 1 year maximum misdemeanor; operating a vehicle while intoxicated, second offense, 1 year maximum misdemeanor. He is being held at the Mason County Jail with a $50,000 bond.

He waived his right to have a preliminary court examination within 14 days of arraignment. MCP has been told the delay is because officials are waiting for laboratory results.