Liver donated by West Babylon hit-and-run victim's family to Texas man
Octavio De Jesus Espinal Sime, 76, was struck by a hit-and-run driver on Nov. 8, Nassau police said. He died days later. Credit: Espinal family
A 76-year-old West Babylon grandfather who died in a hit-and-run crash earlier this month gave a Texas man a new lease on life, according to LiveonNY.
Octavio De Jesus Espinal Sime was struck on Nov. 8 while walking to the Long Island Rail Road station in Freeport for his commute home. He died a few days later.
"In the midst of this tragedy, Octavio — beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather — became an organ donor hero after his family generously said ‘yes’ to giving the gift of life to someone in need of a second chance," Leonard Achan, president of LiveOnNY, a nonprofit that coordinates organ donation and transplantation in the metro area, said in a statement. The recipient of the liver is 71 years old, Achan said.
Espinal Sime’s daughter said the family made the decision to donate his organs because he had earlier expressed wanting to save someone’s life if his own could not be spared.
Making the donation gave the family a measure of comfort, they said.
"It made me feel so good, because they were so close in age, and I know how hard it is to get a liver. It gave me a little bit of relief," his 39-year-old daughter, Ivelisse Alberto, told Newsday, adding she would love to meet the recipient one day.
Espinal Sime was struck by a hit-and-run driver on Nov. 8 soon after completing his work shift at Strike Force Maintenance Corp. He was taken by ambulance to Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital in critical condition but on Nov. 11, hospital officials said he was declared brain-dead.
Relatives told Newsday that Espinal Sime beat cancer in 2018, fueling him with new purpose. He had planned to continue working and later retire in the Dominican Republic, where he was born, family said.
Espinal Sime was a generous father, grandfather and great-grandfather who leaves behind 17 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and six adult children. He was predeceased by two children.
"He was very lovable, he loves anybody unconditionally, no matter what you do," his granddaughter, Alexandra Casado, 20, said.
"This was so unexpected. He was full of life still. He wanted to continue working for a few more years and then retire and go to Dominican Republic," she added.
Nassau County police had no updates on the investigation but they previously asked anyone with information regarding the crash to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 800-244-8477.
Family members previously urged the driver to surrender to police. .
Espinal Sime's death is part of a persistent problem on Long Island roads. Newsday recently reported that from 2019 to 2023, there were 244 serious or fatal hit-and-run crashes across Nassau and Suffolk counties. More than half involved pedestrians or cyclists. As of October, prosecutors have investigated 38 serious or fatal hit-and-run cases this year on the Island.
More coverage: Every 7 minutes on average a traffic crash causing death, injury or significant property damage happens on Long Island. A Newsday investigation found that traffic crashes killed more than 2,100 people between 2014 and 2023 and seriously injured more than 16,000 people. To search for fatal crashes in your area, click here.
Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.
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