Teen motorcyclist’s family flooded with support after fatal Wantagh Parkway crash

The family of a University at Albany student killed in a weekend motorcycle crash on the Wantagh State Parkway is receiving an outpouring of community support, with a GoFundMe raising more than $43,000.

Dario Marsalek, 19, died Sunday night after the motorcycle he was riding hit a guide rail on the northbound side of the parkway just south of Goose Neck Bridge, ejecting him and a passenger, state police said.

Marsalek, who lived in Astoria, Queens, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. His female passenger remains in critical condition.

More than 530 donations have poured into the fundraiser, organized by Marsalek’s aunt and uncle, Valentina and Davor Marsalek, on behalf of his parents, Darko and Bilsena Marsalek.

“Dario was full of life and had a beautiful spirit,” the family wrote. “He loved his family and friends deeply, enjoyed traveling and going on adventures, and embraced every moment life gave him.

“Dario had a genuine way of loving others purely and making people smile simply by being present,” the message continued. “His warmth, kindness, laughter, and unforgettable presence touched so many lives, and he will be deeply missed and forever remembered.”

The money raised will go toward funeral costs and easing the Marsalek family’s financial burden.

Visitation is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 28, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Farenga Funeral Home & Cremation Services, located at 38-08 Ditmars Blvd. in Astoria. Burial will follow on Saturday at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Port Jefferson.

_{Top: courtesy of GoFundMe}