Standout lacrosse player hurt in crash on college campus gets outpouring of support

Community rallies around athlete with traumatic brain injury

A standout lacrosse player from the Twin Cities metro suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was hit by a car this weekend. FOX 9’s Paul Blume has the details.

(FOX 9) - Prayers and well wishes continue to pour in for a standout lacrosse player from the metro, who suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was struck by a car just off his college campus over the weekend.

Noah Berger was an All-American at Centennial High School last year and was playing NCAA Division I lacrosse this season at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. The accident happened early Sunday morning. His parents are currently by his bedside.

"He's got a long way to go," Jim Berger, Noah’s father told FOX 9’s Paul Blume during a Zoom video call on Monday. "He is currently sedated. Loosely termed, a medical induced coma. It is going to be that way for a while."

The 18-year-old Berger suffered several skull fractures and a traumatic brain injury when he was hit by the car while crossing the street near his dorm on a dark and stormy night in the area. The prognosis is uncertain for the standout lacrosse player, less than 48 hours later.

"He hasn't woken up yet," said his mother, Denise Berger. "He probably won't be awake for another week, maybe."

Noah played his prep lacrosse at Centennial and was also active on several high-performance club teams including the Minnesota Loons.

He was living out his dreams this season, suiting up as a freshman for the Lions. He scored his first goal just last month. His parents were in town for the game Saturday afternoon against #14-ranked Jacksonville University. Hours after the game, Noah’s dream turned into a nightmare. Noah was hit while crossing the road. His mom reports getting a sinking feeling and then seeing on an app tracker that her son’s phone was not moving.

"I looked at his location on his phone, and it was not moving," recalled Noah’s mom. "And so I had reached out to his roommate just kind of thinking something's not right. I just didn't know with what was happening. And so his roommate jumped in the car and was there right away. The young girl who hit him stopped right away and dialed 911. There was a cop down the street who showed up immediately. He was unconscious on arrival. So they did intubate and get him to the hospital as quickly as possible."

The immediate outpouring of support on social media and the financial donations that poured in from the lacrosse community has overwhelmed his parents. A GoFundMe to help with family expenses topped $65,000 in 24 hours.

"Keep the prayers coming and well-wishes and positive vibes. They're helping," Denise Berger told FOX 9. "We can see, just some of them, (Noah) not having any other major things wrong with him is nothing short of miraculous. So your thoughts and prayers and support are amazing."

In addition to GoFundMe, there is a CaringBridge page to keep track of Noah’s medical journey. The family and Noah’s ICU medical team are currently discussing the potential of getting Noah to a top specialist in Chicago as soon as he wakes up.