Longtime Lou's Diner employee Brian Benoit shattered the remaining portion of his partially amputated right arm in a recent biking accident. Benoit's predicament has sparked fundraising efforts at Lou's.
The crash happened as Benoit signaled to a nearby pedestrian couple that he planned to pass on the right. As Benoit approached the couple, the male pedestrian moved erratically and, startled by Benoit, backed into him. Benoit was wearing a prosthetic arm in order to steer his bike.
As he fell, the prosthetic arm became stuck, causing the bones in his upper right arm to fracture beyond repair. Benoit also sustained injuries to his face, including road rash and several stitches above his eyebrow.
"The man thought he was a car and backed into him, sending him head over heels to the ground," Lou's night cashier Angela Burke said.
Ironically, Benoit canceled his medical insurance three weeks before the accident due to a sharp increase in premium rates. Now Benoit, who was unavailable for comment, faces the costs of quickly piling hospital bills.
"I feel bad for him, the poor guy," Burke said. "How are you going to pay for something like that?"
A favorite among customers for his cheerful demeanor and ability to balance multiple pies on one arm, Benoit has been restricted to working two hours a day as a daytime cashier.
Benoit lost the lower part of his arm at age three when a truck hit him, crushing the bones below his elbow.
Reflecting the sentiment of the local community, Burke noted, "Everybody in Hanover knows him."
To aid Benoit, Lou's is raising money to help mitigate Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center fees.
Last week, the staff at Lou's rallied support for Benoit at the diner. They held a fundraiser, encouraging customers to make donations to a jar labeled "The Help Brian Out Fund" in return for give-away cookies.
"We did pretty well," said Burke, adding that the restaurant may repeat the fundraiser.
Friends of Benoit have also considered starting a website which would allow visitors to donate directly to Benoit's bank account.
Costs are high because doctors at DHMC were unable to mend the bones in Benoit's upper arm. They instead inserted a metal plate and screws into the partial arm in an effort to avoid a full amputation.
Benoit, who cannot afford to stay at the hospital overnight, must return to the hospital every day to take the antibiotics necessary to prevent infection in the arm.
