
(Image: GoFundMe)
In an extraordinary and emotional turn of events, Esther Acosta of Las Vegas was led to believe her husband, Brandon Green, had died in a car accident—only to discover the next day that he was, in fact, alive and undergoing treatment in a hospital.
It began when the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department contacted Acosta, informing her that Green had been involved in a fatal vehicle accident. This tragic news left her devastated, and she began to mourn the loss of her husband, spending a full 24 hours believing her life had been irrevocably changed.
“It’s like I had been hit, you know, like I was just in complete shock. It was unbelievable. I just couldn’t believe it,” Acosta shared with a local news outlet, News8. She had started contemplating a future without Green, particularly thinking about how she would raise their two daughters, Selah and Hope, without their father.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced on September 15 that a pedestrian had been involved in a hit-and-run incident and had been taken to a trauma center with serious injuries. Just two days after the accident, they declared that the victim had died from their injuries, identifying the deceased as 37-year-old Brandon Green. The news shattered Acosta, and she prepared herself for life as a widow.
The next day, however, Acosta’s world was turned upside down once more—this time with a revelation that would bring relief and confusion. The police issued a correction, clarifying that Green was not dead and that an error had been made by the Clark County Coroner’s Office. The real victim of the crash was another individual, and Green was still receiving medical care.
“How can someone mistakenly be dead? Did my husband’s heart stop?” Acosta questioned in disbelief. The police updated their statement, saying, “Mr. Green has not succumbed to his injuries and is still receiving medical treatment at UMC [University Medical Center]. He remains in critical condition.”
This shocking mistake left Acosta and her daughters reeling from the emotional rollercoaster. For 24 hours, they believed they had lost their loved one, only to find out he was fighting for his life in a hospital bed. Despite the mix-up, Green’s condition remains critical. According to a fundraiser update posted online on October 16, Green was discharged from intensive care after nearly a month, but he is expected to remain hospitalized for at least another three months due to the severity of his injuries. He suffered brain bleeding, blood clots, and multiple fractures in the accident.
Acosta and her daughters have been visiting Green daily, trying to cope with the emotional trauma they’ve endured, relying on the support of friends, family, and the local community to get through this difficult time.
Meanwhile, the hit-and-run driver responsible for the accident remains at large. The police have identified a vehicle they believe was involved in the accident—a white Acura TSX, possibly from 2011 to 2014—with damage to the windshield, grill, and bumper. However, they have not yet been able to track down a license plate or a suspect.
Acosta is determined to see justice served, and she has strong words for the person responsible for her husband’s near-death experience. “You should be frightened of living knowing you did that for the rest of your life and not saying anything, you should be frightened about that, not about the consequences. The consequences are the least of it,” she declared.
As the search for the perpetrator continues, Acosta is focused on her husband’s recovery and her family’s healing. Neither the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department nor the Clark County Coroner has responded to requests for further comment.