9-Year-Old Dies Days After DWI Crash On Long Island Expressway: Police

LONG ISLAND, NY — The nine-year-old Long Island boy, who was seriously injured in a crash involving a drunk driver last week, has died, Suffolk police said late Sunday.

Angel Salis was a passenger in a 2019 Toyota Corolla, driven by his father, Bruce Koch, 49, of Deer Park, early last Monday morning in Medford when the sedan was rear-ended in the westbound lane by a 2018 BMW, according to police.

Salis and Koch, who had minor injuries, were both taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment, police said.

Salis' mother, Juliana, told News 12 that drivers need to make “good choices.”

“We can only be responsible for our choices and even though we love our family, we love our children, we cannot control what other people do," she added.

Angel was removed from life support Sunday and was given an "honor walk," which is a special tribute in which all hospital employees line the hallway, as his body was wheeled into an operating room where doctors were waiting to harvest his organs, the outlet reported.

Salis suffered severe head trauma "and sadly did not make it," according to a GoFundMe page set up by family friend, Bri Silva.

"If you are able, please help by contributing any monetary amount, big or small to help support the family during this time," she wrote, adding, "Anything would genuinely be appreciated. Thank you."

Patch has reached out to Salis' family, as well as Silva.

The driver in the crash, Travis Dickson, 27, was also taken to Stony Brook with non-life-threatening injuries and was charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, police said. He was also injured and was expected to be arraigned after his release from the hospital, according to police.

Dickson was additionally charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, also a misdemeanor, according to online court records.

A spokeswoman for District Attorney Ray Tierney did not comment on whether his office was pursuing upgraded charges. She described the crash as part of an ongoing investigation.

Dickson was released on $200,000 bond, a spokesman for the county sheriff's office said.

His attorney, Michael Brown of Central Islip, could not be immediately reached for comment.