Colonie teen succumbs to injuries from 2016 crash
Family of Niko Dinovo confirms death 508 days after nightmare began
ALBANY — Niko Dinovo, the Colonie teenager who was severely burned in an Oct. 2016 crash that sent the vehicle he was a passenger in into a truck parked outside Blessings Tavern on Watervliet Shaker Rd, has died.
The 17-year-old passed away at 5:47 p.m. Monday evening, the family announced in a Facebook post from Davina Resciniti, Dinovo’s aunt.
“He made us fearless .. so we are not afraid. Our Trust In God and knowing He has Big Plans for Niko in Heaven helped get us through today,” Resciniti wrote in a text to CBS 6 News. “The amount of love and support we felt from Home truly saved us .. we love you all and will be bringing our boy home.”
Dinovo suffered third-degree burns to 95 percent of his body in the October 28, 2016, crash. He was a passenger in the 2006 BMW of friend Michael Carr, 19.
In Dec. 2017, Carr admitted to driving at 60 mph in a 30-mph speed zone. Dec. 2017. He pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. As part of the plea deal, Carr will not face additional charges.
Carr was sentenced to six years in State Prison in January.
“As a mom, I’m trying not to judge and be a bigger person. Michael Carr, I want you to feel the same pain I do, that Niko does and that my family endures every day,” Niko’s mother, Alicia DiNovo, wrote in a letter read aloud in court by Davina Resciniti, during the sentencing. “Yet at the same time, in the back of my mind, I hope someday I can forgive you for what you’ve done to all of us.”
[Times Union] [WRGB]