Long Island

NYC man sentenced for high-speed LIE crash while high, drunk that killed 9-year-old

Travis Dickson was driving 119 mph on the Long Island Expressway on August 2022 while drunk and high before crashing into the back of another car, killing 9-year-old Angel Salas.

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A mom is mourning the loss of her son after he was killed by a suspected drunk driver on Long Island, Pei-Sze Cheng reports.

What to Know

  • A Brooklyn man,who admitted to driving 119 mph on the Long Island Expressway in 2022 while drunk and high before crashing into the back of another vehicle and killing a 9-year-old boy, was sentenced to 4.5 to 13.5 years in prison, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced.
  • Travis Dickson, 32, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty in February to: manslaughter in the second degree, vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, assault in the second degree, assault in the third degree, driving while intoxicated and driving while impaired by the combined influence of alcohol and a drug, reckless driving, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
  • Although Dickson was sentenced to to 4.5 to 13.5 years in prison on Friday, the prosecution was seeking 5 to 15 years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed under the law.

A Brooklyn man,who admitted to driving 119 mph on the Long Island Expressway in 2022 while drunk and high before crashing into the back of another vehicle and killing a 9-year-old boy, was sentenced to 4.5 to 13.5 years in prison, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced.

Travis Dickson, 32, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty in February to: manslaughter in the second degree, vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, assault in the second degree, assault in the third degree, driving while intoxicated and driving while impaired by the combined influence of alcohol and a drug, reckless driving, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

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Although Dickson was sentenced to to 4.5 to 13.5 years in prison on Friday, the prosecution was seeking 5 to 15 years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed under the law.

“As this case clearly illustrates, drunk and drug-impaired drivers are a danger to our communities and often times cause collisions which turn fatal for innocent victims,” said District Attorney Tierney. “A child lost their life because of the selfish actions of the defendant. I hope that this prison sentence brings some small degree of solace to the victim’s family who are undoubtedly still grieving his loss.”

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On Aug. 22, 2022, at around 1:49 a.m. Dickson was driving a 2018 BMW 540i westbound on the Long Island Expressway at 119 mph, while drunk and having smoked marijuana, before crashing into the back of a 2019 Toyota Corolla. Inside the Toyota was 9-year-old Angel Salas restrained in a booster seat, and his father, the driver.

The child was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was listed in critical condition. His father was also taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Two days later, doctors declared the child brain-dead, and he was subsequently removed from life support after arrangements were made to donate his organs.

Dickson exhibited signs of intoxication after the crash and admitted to smoking marijuana. Blood drawn from Dickson about three hours after the crash should he had a alcohol concentration of .14% -- almost twice the legal limit -- and the presence of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

Dickson’s New York State driver’s license was revoked at the time he was driving the BMW.

Juliana Salas, Angel's mother, sat down in 2022 with NBC New York while mourning the death of her beloved son and dealing with the pain and anger any parent would experience from such a devastating loss.

By the time Juliana made it to Stony Brook Hospital following the crash, Angel was already on life support.

"I was just sitting in a room with my son. Well, he's hooked up to a machine and people are just keeping his body alive, but he's no longer there," she said.

Doctors kept her son alive for a few days in order for his organs to be collected to help other children.

"I did things to make his life as good as I could provide," Salas said, "Without him being here, there goes my reason for fighting. That's how it feels right now."

"An innocent child's life was taken because someone just made really, really foolish decisions," Salas said.

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