A benefit is scheduled tonight for an Ignacio man who was critically injured by assailants in Minot, N.D.
Nathan Barela arrived Aug. 1 in Minot for a high-wage job created as part of the oil boom, Anastasia Fernandez, a family friend, said.
He had been on the job barely two months when he was assaulted while in downtown Minot, she said.
“I told him not to go,” Fernandez said. “There are high-paying jobs, but there’s a lot of violence in those places.
“He had head, face and neck injuries and was in a coma when the paramedics arrived,” Fernandez said. “He was in intensive care for 29 days.”
Barela and his wife, Marcia, returned Thursday to Ignacio.
The benefit is scheduled from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Sky Ute Casino, with music by Grupo Ritmo. There also will be a silent auction. Admission is $10 or $15 per couple.
Fernandez said a fund has been established for Barela at First National Bank of Durango. Donations also can be made through PayPal at benefit4NathanB@gmail.com.
daler@durangoherald.com
