OAK RIDGE, N.C. – An 11-year-old boy has died after being hit by an SUV in Oak Ridge Friday night, his family says.
“My sweet Noah has got his angel wings and is in heaven now. Please pray for the family as they try to cope with this loss,” Renea Smith, his grandmother told WGHP.
Noah Isaac Chambers, of Stokesdale, was hit around 7 p.m. in front of Bethel United Methodist Church..
Troopers at the scene said a group of kids was crossing Haw River Road when he was hit.
Chambers was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and was in critical condition.
A trunk-or-treat event was happening at the church at the time.
Medical officials did a brain death exam over the weekend, and Noah showed no signs of responsiveness and he wasn’t able to breathe on his own, his mother, Brooke Dupree, said.
Officials did another test at 12 p.m. Sunday. After the two brain death exams, he was pronounced dead.
His mother says Noah was a 6th grader at Rockingham County Middle School.
Before that, he was a student at Bethany Elementary School.
The principal of RCMS, Moriah Dollarhite, said:
“First and foremost, RCMS wants to respect the privacy of the family of Noah Chambers. We recognize this is a very difficult time. RCMS was so sad to receive the information that he had been involved in an accident. We have reached out to his family to let them know we are thinking of them. Our hearts go out to Noah and family at this time. RCMS is truly a family and I know our students will certainly want to extend their thoughts by making cards for the family on Monday. We will also have crisis counselors from our district crisis team available for students and they will be here as long as students need them. Our entire staff and school will continually keep Noah and his family in our thoughts and prayers.”
Bethel United Methodist Church Pastor Leyton Alan Mears released a statement, saying:
“Our hearts and prayers are with Noah and his family. All of us at Bethel UMC are deeply saddened by this accident and the tragic turn of events. Our focus at this time is providing care and support for all those involved.”
Rockingham County Middle School said in a statement:
“We wanted to extend our sincere condolences to the family of Noah Chambers. We are very sad for their loss and we will miss Noah so very much. Noah was a very sweet child and he was well-liked by his friends and staff. We will have additional crisis counselors at RCMS tomorrow and for as long as we need them. We will also have a moment of silence in honor of Noah tomorrow morning. The students will also have the opportunity to make cards for the family of Noah so that they know we are thinking of them. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Noah Chambers and our RCMS family.
