A Brooklyn resident, Travis Dickson, who confessed to intoxicated driving and causing a crash on the Long Island Expressway in 2022 which resulted in the death of a nine-year-old boy, was given his sentence on Friday, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
32 year old, Dickson, was awarded a prison term ranging from four and a half to 13.5 years after admitting to manslaughter, assault, drunk driving, reckless driving, and aggravated unauthorized motor vehicle operation in February.
Court documents and his guilty plea affirm that on August 22, 2022, Dickson, under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, drove a 2018 BMW 540i at 119 mph on the Long Island Expressway. Dickson crashed into the rear of a 2019 Toyota Corolla without making any attempts to brake. The Toyota contained 9-year-old Angel Salas, secured in a booster seat, and his father who was at the wheel.
After the accident, Angel was rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital in a critical condition due to crash injuries. He was pronounced brain-dead two days later. The young victim was taken off life support after arrangements were made to donate his organs to other children.
Angel’s father survived the crash with non-life-threatening injuries. Following the incident, Dickson exhibited signs of intoxication, confessed to smoking cannabis, and was found to possess it.
Dickson’s blood was drawn three hours post-crash, revealing a blood alcohol concentration of .14%, nearly twice the legal limit of .08%. Additionally, THC was present in his system. The police also discovered that at the time of the accident, Dickson’s New York license was suspended.
Dickson’s penalty came close to the maximum recommended sentence of five to 15 years.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney stated that drunk and drug-impaired drivers are a danger to society and often cause fatal accidents, as illustrated in this case. He added on a poignant note that a child lost his life due to Dickson’s irresponsible actions.
In the aftermath of Angel’s demise, his mother Juliana appealed for stricter charges against Dickson in an interview with NBC New York. She expressed her deep sorrow and described the incident as one caused by very poor decisions which ended an innocent child’s life.
Read more – Source