Individuals seldom equate death with young folks. Since natural death is more acceptable to our thoughts than accidental death, it is simpler to envisage an older person dying than a toddler. So, when a parent discovers their kid is no longer alive, their entire world crumbles.
The parents in today’s story had never considered their kid’s untimely death. It was difficult for them to accept that their kid had died, yet there was one thing that made them proud: their kid would save the lives of others.
Bruce Koch was traveling on the Long Island Expressway, Farmingville, in the early hours of August 22, 2022, on a routine day. He was eager to get there with his 9-year-old son Angel Salas, however destiny had other intentions.
When a BMW driver smashed into the back end of Koch and Salas’ Toyota Corolla while they were on the road with other vehicles travelling at high speeds, they felt a big shock.
The crash drew everybody’s focus to the road, and the Suffolk County Police Department was quick to investigate. When first responders checked Salas, they chose to transport him to Stony Brook Hospital.
Koch was treated in the same hospital as Salas, although his wounds were less serious. The small boy’s skull was seriously hurt, and the doctors did everything they could to heal him, but they couldn’t save him.
However, Koch was back on his feet, yet his life had been flipped upside down by the news of his son. Angel had died. He couldn’t tolerate the agonizing wounds he had incurred as a result of another man’s negligence.
When cops examined the incident, they determined that the BMW driver, Travis Dickson, 27, was inebriated while driving on the freeway. After being hospitalized for minor injuries, he was arrested for drunk driving.
Regardless of how Dickson was punished by the courts, Koch and his wife, Juliana, were unable to get their son back. They had lost the love of their lives, and nothing could compensate for their agonizing grief.
Koch and Juliana were unprepared to let their kid go, so they kept him alive by donating his organs to individuals in need of transplants. Salas was maintained on life support until suitable procedures for organ donation were completed.
Friends, relatives, and medical personnel stood in the corridor to celebrate Salas and his parents for their noble deed as he was being carried from his hospital room to the operating room.
Salas’ kidneys and liver saved the lives of three individuals, two from New York and one from Florida, according to the president of LiveOnNY, a nonprofit group concerned in organ donation.
A family friend organized a GoFundMe account to help Koch and Juliana during this difficult time in their lives. They raised more than $32,000 thanks to people’s amazing gifts, but it wasn’t sufficient to assist them in dealing with their child’s loss.
Experts advise parents to remain together as a family and support one another when their kid dies. To deal with the sadness, experts encourage parents to seek professional treatment and speak with therapists. It is also critical that the dead child’s siblings seek assistance.
It’s difficult for family members to get back into a routine following the death of a kid. They grieve over the memories, and going through the little one’s possessions makes them want to talk to the child one final time. According to experts, such families should strive to get care for their mental health.
In a similar example, a car crashed and landed in a stream in Wayne County, New York, when the driver lost control. Only one of the seven persons inside the vehicle, five-year-old Joseph Zufelt, died.
Three persons were thrown from the automobile, as per police records.
Two of the passengers emerged on their own, while the other two were dragged out by emergency responders. Zufelt was taken to Oswego Hospital, however it was too late. The tiny kid had already perished.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Angel Salas’ and Joseph Zufelt’s families and friends as they cope with the sadness of their tragic loss.
