STONINGTON, Conn. (AP) - Gabe Lima’s ear-to-ear grin bears a deep scar from the metal plate surgically implanted in his jaw, evidence of the act of violence he fell victim to on a frigid night earlier this winter that left him in need of life support at a Providence hospital.
Despite being severely beaten and abandoned in sub-freezing temperatures outside the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society club in Stonington January - the impact of which he’s still recovering from - his smile is genuine. He credits his optimism to an outpouring of community support for him and his family, including an online drive to raise funds for his medical bills.
In the nine days since its creation, the gofundme page shows more than $2,600 raised through donations from close to 40 people, and 187 online “shares.” Meanwhile, members of the Portuguese club have also planned a benefit event - including a spaghetti dinner, silent auction and raffle - in his honor for March 29.
Lima blushes, his eyes lowered in modesty at the attention these fundraising efforts have brought.
“They’re all such good people, and I want to thank everyone that’s worked to raise all this money on my behalf,” he said.
Family and friends quickly point out that he’s certainly deserving of their support.
“He’s the guy that is always first in line to help out. He’s a husband, father and friend, and while he may drive you bonkers sometimes, he never turns his back when you need a hand,” wrote Eileen Cerniglia, creator of the gofundme page and longtime friend of Lima and his family.
A fellow member of the Portuguese club and Borough community, Cerniglia said she was “disgusted” when she learned what happened to Lima on the fateful night of Jan. 17.
“Out of all the people, Gabe would never hurt a flea. He’d give his last penny to someone if they needed it.”
John Higgins, Cerniglia’s brother, agreed.
“He didn’t deserve it,” he said. “It’s very, very sad.”
Lisa Richmond, manager at the club, knew Lima through his frequent visits to the club on weekend nights, where he’d meet with friends to socialize and help out with events like the club’s fish and chips dinners.
“Gabe’s not a fighter. He’s just not that type of person,” Richmond noted.
Lima recalls little from the fateful Saturday night he stopped by the club for a drink with friends.
“All I remember was going to the bathroom, and this guy was standing right there, so I said ’excuse me,’ just a polite comment, that was it,” he explained, adding that he did not know the man.
The man, later identified by the Stonington police as Jay Morosini, was not a club member, but presumably entered that Saturday night as another member’s guest. Police Capt. Todd Olson said there were no witnesses to the brutal beating of Lima, who was found outside the club by a passing resident, who contacted the police.
Department investigators were later led to Morosini, who had left by the time officers responded. Morosini, 45, of 12 Pawcatuck Ave., was charged on Jan. 18 with second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. He pleaded not guilty in New London Superior Court.
Court records indicate he is in judicial custody, held on a $50,000 bond. His pretrial hearing is scheduled for April 1. His previous convictions include driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in Connecticut, along with possession of a controlled substance, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, and two counts of driving with a suspended license in Rhode Island.
Crews from Stonington Ambulance found Lima conscious but not alert, with severe facial injuries and signs of frostbite from the below-freezing temperatures. Seconds later, his wife, Natalia, and daughter, Erica Lima, arrived to see ambulance crews preparing him for transport to The Westerly Hospital.
“I freaked out. I went into a panic,” said Erica, recalling the image of her father, face down on the ground, blood streaming out of his mouth. “It was pretty traumatic.”
Shortly after Lima arrived at the hospital, he was put on life support, then transported to Rhode Island Hospital’s intensive care unit. According to Erica, her father was put in a medically induced coma as doctors tended to his injuries, which included three broken ribs, frostbite on one side of his face and a severely fractured jaw. After surgery to install the metal plate, and several days in the recovery unit, Lima was released from the hospital.
He has since returned to “light duty” work at Dodson Boatyard. But recovery is ongoing.
“He’s never going to be completely back to normal,” explained Erica. “But I am so, so grateful to have him back. They say if we had waited any longer, before he was found, we would have been making funeral arrangements.”
The fundraising efforts will never reverse the impact of the incident, but they can help offset the pile of medical bills rapidly accumulating for Lima’s treatment, Cerniglia explained. The community response is promising, Cerniglia said, adding that past club benefits have raised as much as $17,000.
As for Lima, he’s taking one day at a time. He has several additional medical appointments down the road, as well as the benefit. But his immediate plans include basking in the warm sunshine from his South Street home, relaxing with his family and perhaps enjoying a “nice cold Budweiser.”
“Nothing better,” he says.
Tickets to the benefit cost $20 per person, and can be purchased at several area businesses, including Tom’s News, Cove Ledge Package Store, Handlebar Cafe and the Holy Ghost Society. For more information on the event, or to donate, contact John Higgins at 860-460-3491. Donations can also be made online at gofundme.com/nlqpyw.
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