Travis Dickson admits guilt in crash that killed Angel Salas, 9, Suffolk DA says
Angel Salas, 9, who was killed in a crash when the car he was in was rear-ended by a driver accused of being drunk, high and speeding. Credit: Juliana Salas
A Brooklyn man pleaded guilty Friday to driving 119 mph while drunk and high on the Long Island Expressway in Farmingville and crashing into a car, killing a 9-year-old boy.
Travis Dickson, 32, pleaded guilty to three felonies, including manslaughter, in the Aug. 22, 2022, crash that led to the death of Angel Salas.
Dickson did not attempt to hit the brakes on his 2018 BMW 540i while driving up to speeds of 119 mph just before 2 a.m., prosecutors said, before he plowed into the back of a 2019 Toyota Corolla, driven by Angel’s father from Deer Park. Angel was riding in a booster seat in the back seat and was crushed by the impact of the crash.
The boy and his father were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where Angel was listed in critical condition before he was declared brain dead two days later. He was then removed from life support and donated his liver and kidneys to save three lives on an organ transplant waiting list.
Prosecutors said Dickson was driving high on marijuana and drunk with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.14%, above the legal limit of 0.08%, three hours after the crash. He was found carrying marijuana and had admitted smoking pot before the crash. His driver’s license had also been previously revoked at the time of the crash.
A Suffolk County grand jury indicted Dickson in November 2022 on 12 counts. He pleaded guilty Friday to seven charges: second-degree manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault, misdemeanor assault, driving while impaired by alcohol and drugs, reckless driving and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 5. He faces 4½ to 13½ years in prison.
“This defendant’s dangerous actions caused the unthinkable death of a 9-year-old child in a booster seat and serious injuries to his father,” Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. “No family deserves to go through the heartache of losing a family member, let alone a child, to a drunk or drug-impaired driver. We hope that today’s guilty plea brings some measure of closure to the victim’s family.”
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
