A single-vehicle crash in Monroe on Oct. 25 killed two men, one of them a youth soccer coach known to families across Union County.
Davor Barisic, 44, an assistant coach with the Porter Ridge Soccer Club, and Nemanja Ljepojevic, 35, both of Indian Trail, died after a Chevrolet Silverado left Old Charlotte Highway near Rogers Road and struck multiple trees shortly before 1 a.m., the Enquirer Journal reported, citing the Monroe Police Department (MPD). Both men were passengers. The driver survived and was airlifted to a Charlotte-area hospital in critical condition, police said.
WSOC-TV reported that speed and alcohol were factors in the crash, according to Monroe Police. The driver has not been publicly identified. WSOC-TV reported it is possible he could face charges.
At Porter Ridge, the loss hit hard.
"I heard the news, and I was just kind of in disbelief at what happened," said Jake Roberts, the club's director.
Barisic had two children. He stepped up as assistant coach on his son's team when the head coach needed help, Roberts said. Roberts described Barisic as someone who embodied kindness and empathy on the field.
"Coach Davor has an amazing ability to kind of cut through the tension with a knife with humor and bring that level down … that courage to stand up for everybody in those moments, those are things I'll remember," Roberts said.
Roberts said the club lives by three words: courage, commitment and community. He said Barisic embodied all three.
A Charlotte church leader told WSOC-TV reporter Gina Esposito that all three men in the vehicle were parishioners at his church and part of the Serbian community. The church leader and church were not identified by name in the report.
Another coach at the club created a fundraiser on SupportNow.org for the Barisic family. The page describes the effort as a way to help the family "navigate the sudden and tragic loss of a beloved father." Multiple donors had contributed, though no fundraising goal or total was listed on the page.
The MPD's traffic division is continuing to investigate the crash.
