By Hector Flores
"Anything you needed he would do for you," Wiederer, 23, said, as he stood outside his front door on Friends Lane. "He was a giver, and it's sad that he was taken from us."
Louis, 26, a former Calhoun High School student, died on July 21 while trying to stop his girlfriend, Jesenia Vega, 27, from driving drunk from a block party in Centereach in Suffolk County, police said. According to a published report, Wiederer told Vega, "You're going to get arrested." Vega, however, refused his warnings, put her key in the ignition and began driving her car, police said. All the while, Louis was hanging on to the open driver's-side door.
According to police, Vega, who is from Carle Place, drove her 2005 Nissan north on Tree Road in Centereach. For three blocks, Wiederer held on, trying to get her to stop. Finally he lost his grip and slipped underneath the car. The car came to a stop on Vine Court, but when firefighters and paramedics arrived at the scene, Wiederer was pronounced dead.
Vega was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. She was arraigned on July 22 in First District Court in Central Islip, where she has been held in the county jail without bail.
Days after the accident, cars were seen pulling up to the Wiederer home as family and friends grieved. Inside, a photo collage chronicled Louis's short life.
Helen Meittinis, a local community leader, said that this was a tragedy for the family and for Salisbury. "I knew him as a little boy, playing Little League with my son," Meittinis said. "They played on the All-Star travel team and [Louis] was always happy-go-lucky. He was always pleasant."
According to Michael, he and his brother lived in Salisbury nearly their entire lives. They lived in Merrick for five years, and Louis went to Calhoun High School for two years. Michael added that his brother was a star athlete who played football at Calhoun and then at Clarke. "In 1998, he was All Conference with Clarke," Michael said.
Michael said his only wish is to see Louis alive again, but he knows that his brother would have wanted him and his mother to move on. "I feel horrible -- I wish that he was still with us," Michael said. "I love him and I always will, but my family and I have to accept what we cannot change and move on. That is what he would have wanted us to do. To do everything we can to be happy."
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
