A Drunk Dad Took His Sick Toddler Son for a Drive to Get Him to Sleep. Then, They Crashed and the Boy Drowned.

A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including manslaughter, after he lost his 2-year-old son in a brook when fleeing the scene of a car crash, resulting in the boy drowning, according to authorities.

Around 2 a.m. on April 8, 2023, officers responded to a motor vehicle crash in Clarksburg, according to Massachusetts State Police. First responders arrived on the scene and learned a young child who had been in the vehicle was unaccounted for.

Darel Galorenzo, 35, the driver and the toddler’s father, was present in the area of the Hudson Brook. First responders began searching the waters for the boy, officials said.

Around 2:20 a.m., the young child was found in the brook and medics performed emergency first-aid for “drowning injuries,” police said. The child was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Troopers on the scene said they observed Galorenzo showed signs of intoxication. He was taken to the hospital for minor injuries, and he was was examined and discharged, according to officials.

A trooper took Galorenzo to Cheshire Barracks, where he remained in custody after police determined he was operating under the influence.

Galorenzo told police he took his son driving because the child could not sleep and was coughing. He claimed ice caused the crash and his son ran from the scene and into the stream, WBTS reported.

Officers believe Galorenzo may have fallen and lost his grip on the child while trying to make his way through the brook, which they described as being “frigid” and having a “swift current,” according to WBTS.

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Galorenzo was initially charged with manslaughter, as well as operating under the influence, reckless endangerment of a child, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, authorities said.

On March 4, Galorenzo pleaded guilty to three charges, including manslaughter, in the drowning death of his son. A judge sentenced him to nine to 15 years in prison for manslaughter, as well as two and a half years for each count of operating under the influence of liquor and operating under the influence while endangering a child, according to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office.

"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," District Attorney Timothy Shugrue said about the case. "Mr. Galorenzo, the child’s father, failed at this cardinal task. He put himself and his needs over the safety of his child."