Canton boy steers car, dials 911 when grandfather has stroke driving

You might think Benjamin Bubis’s grandfather is his hero, but it’s actually the other way around. That’s because of what happened on 495 in Southborough when Ben’s grandpa was driving him to soccer practice.

“I started yelling at him, yelling again and again, and he completely didn’t respond,” Ben said.

Ben, 12, says his grandpa looked very ill and began losing control of the car. Instead of panicking, Ben grabbed the wheel and called 911.

“I told them what was happening that there was a medical emergency,” Bubis said. “And at the same time, I was kind of steering the wheel with one hand. I was like avoiding crashes.”

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Ben managed to pull the car to the side of the road. An ambulance took his grandpa to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Dr. Ajit Puri says it was a stroke.

“This could have been a very big danger not just for the grandson and grandad, but other people on the road, “ said Puri, the Chief of Interventional Neuroradiology at UMass Memorial.

Ben says it was his first time steering a car. His mom is in awe.

“I just know that he’s a very smart kid so I can’t say if I’m surprised or not because I can’t imagine something like this could ever happen,” said Yelena Bubis, Ben’s mother.

“It was like a life and death and situation, so I just knew I had to stay focused,” Ben said.

Benjamin’s grandpa is still recovering in the hospital, but he could be out as soon as Friday. Ben likely saved his grandpa’s life.

Cox Media Group