A broken pelvis, a severed vein and a holiday ruined

Marjolaine Rocheleau had been looking forward to spending quality time on Christmas Day with her grandson opening presents, baking cookies and playing outside. 

Instead, she spent the day at Ottawa's children's hospital waiting for updates on his condition after seven-year-old Jayden Hunter was seriously injured in a collision Dec. 22. 

"His pelvis is broken in four different places and also a vein in his left leg was sectioned in two. They had to bring the vein back together," Rocheleau said of his injuries. 

On the way back from visiting his cousins for the holidays, Hunter and his uncle were involved in a four-vehicle collision at the intersection of Blair and Ogilvie roads east of the core around 11:15 p.m.

Hunter's uncle told Rocheleau the car was stopped at a red light when it was struck from behind, propelling it into oncoming traffic. 

It took first responders over 30 minutes to get Jayden out of the vehicle using the Jaws of Life, Rocheleau said. 

Driver charged with impaired, dangerous driving

Ottawa police said a 23-year-old man from Ottawa was arrested at the scene and charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm and dangerous driving causing bodily harm. The investigation is ongoing, police said in a statement. 

Rocheleau said the accident was hard enough on Hunter, his mother and the rest of the family, but hearing that a driver was charged with impaired driving made it more difficult.

She said it was upsetting that because somebody may have made a "terrible choice in life," it would have "a long life impact" on her grandson.

Hunter has since had two surgeries on his leg, lasting over seven hours in total, and needed nine units of blood. 

Next week, he'll be back in a CHEO operating room for another surgery and will likely need a skin graft in the coming months to close the wound on his leg, Rocheleau added. 

"We don't know the rest of the impact because he's not conscious enough to be able to speak to us," she said. 

It's been incredibly difficult for Rocheleau to see her bubbly grandson now hooked up to several tubes.

"Because of the trauma, the shock of the impact, his entire body's still swollen and bruised everywhere," she said, adding he'll occasionally try removing his breathing tube and intravenous tube because he finds them painful.

The road to a full recovery could take months, she added.

"He has to be immobile for about four weeks for him to have this vein heal properly, but imagine a seven-year-old, to tell him for four weeks you can't move."

No other family should have to deal with something like this, Rocheleau said, adding she hopes Hunter's story can help highlight the consequences of driving impaired.

Ottawa police said so far this year they have charged more than 870 people with impaired driving.