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Darel Galorenzo, 36, of Readsboro, Vermont, admitted to charges of manslaughter, OUI-child endangerment, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle in the 2023 crash, the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office announced on Monday, March 4.
He was sentenced to 9 to 15 years in prison, the DA's office said. Prosecutors asked for 12 to 15 years.
Galorenzo rolled his 2015 Subaru Crosstrek just before 2 a.m. on April 8, 2023, in a single-vehicle crash on Middle Road in Clarksburg. Police said he climbed out of the wreckage with his 2-year-old son and ran away, but he lost the boy in Hudson Brook, the prosecutor said.
First responders found the child unresponsive in the water and performed CPR as they rushed him to Berkshire Medical Center, where doctors pronounced him dead. Galorenzo initially pleaded not guilty to the charges and was held on $100,000 bail, the prosecutor said at the time.
Berkshire District Attorney Timothy J. Shugrue called the case "one of the most tragic" in his 40 year career.
It gave me no pleasure to appear in court today to settle this horrific case. Mr. Galorenzo’s actions on April 7th and 8th of 2023 directly caused the death of his son. I will spare the public of the traumatic details of the incidents that led to a two-year-old child’s death which included first surviving a car crash then ultimately drowning on a cold, dark night in a river rushing with melting snow. However, I wish to express that this is one of the most tragic cases I have seen in my almost 40 years of practicing law. These sentiments have also been shared by the judge involved in this case.During my term as District Attorney, I have stated multiple times that children are the most vulnerable members in our community. They deserve our protection. Mr. Galorenzo, the child’s father, failed at this cardinal task. He put himself and his needs over the safety of his child.
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