Hitting the reset button: Local student breaks silence about serious car accident

Catholic Central’s Neuhaus, a multi-sport star, doesn’t remember driving at all

By Mike Ramczyk

Sports Editor

There was a laser focus in Austin Neuhaus’ eyes Tuesday afternoon at Catholic Central High School.

The 6-foot-2 junior sat on the edge of an aluminum folding chair, five feet from his basketball teammates as they prepared for their upcoming Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 5 state tournament semifinal Friday morning in Madison.

The 9 a.m. tip-off will mark the Hilltoppers’ first state appearance since winning it all in 2006, but Neuhaus will have to watch from the sidelines.

The Genoa City native, who was involved in a New Year’s Day car crash in Bloomfield Township near Pell Lake with teammate Sam McKinney along with Lake Geneva Badger student Logan Parker, wasn’t sitting down by choice.

Roughly 75 days removed from a life-altering traumatic brain injury, vertebrae damage and broken jaw, Neuhaus still can’t put any weight on his right leg, which has a permanent titanium steel rod.

His crutches by his side, Neuhaus is in good spirits, joking with teammates, shooting layups on one leg and even setting the story straight on the “Team Peanut” fundraiser story that ran in the Burlington Standard Press in January.

“The only thing that was wrong with the story is it said I drove a Ford truck,” he said.

“I drove a Chevy, a GMC.”

Only 16 years old, Neuhaus keeps an astonishing sense of humor considering it took him 17 days to remember anything about the crash.

Austin went into Children’s Hospital a three-sport star, 201 pounds of power and athleticism.

When he left, he was down to 144 pounds, according to his father Jim. He is able to open his mouth halfway due to the severe jaw damage. Both Austin and Jim said the once-promising quarterback can never play football again.

Austin said he’s blessed to be a part of the team on the sidelines, but the competitor inside is disappointed he can’t be on the floor with his teammates this weekend.

It started with friends

Austin said Parker, McKinney, Austin’s girlfriend, and a few more friends celebrated New Year’s Eve together, watching the ball drop on TV at Austin’s house in Genoa City.

While Austin doesn’t remember driving the day of the crash, he has been told by family and friends what happened.

“We got up at 9:30 the next day, and by 10, we had pancakes with my parents and a few friends went home,” Austin said. “We left by 10:30, and we got to Logan’s house on Daisy Road. We then left to go back south to a YMCA in Illinois. Logan was getting a permission slip, but he forgot it, so I turned around to go back to his house.”

“In 200 feet, heading back to Logan’s house, we went up a slight hill on a curve, and I can’t remember anything after this. They told me we hit a piece of ice, and I corrected it. Then we hit a second piece, so I corrected again. When we hit a third patch of ice, the back end flung out and we slid off into the ditch. The tree was in the ditch.

“The last thing I remember is walking into the garage to go get in my truck,” he added. “Before I even started driving to Logan’s. I don’t remember anything after that. Everything we got from Christmas break from the school and things I got for Christmas, I don’t even remember.”

“When I asked my dad what happened, he told me I thought we crashed my mom’s Tahoe, and Jan. 18 is when I can first remember being in the hospital.”

In five days after the crash, Austin received titanium plates in his jaw, his vertebra were fused together and 12 screws and titanium were placed in his right tibia (shin bone) – in a total of three surgeries.

“The plates in my face, I can feel it if I touch it, but everywhere else I can’t feel it,” he said.

Brain still bleeding

“I was bleeding out of my ears, which is very bad,” Austin said. “I won’t be able to play contact sports until next basketball season. Football is out. For awhile, there will still be blood in my brain.

“I wish I could play, but I understand why they’re taking it away. It’s great we made state, but there’s a sadness.”

Austin said his parents, Jim and Lisa, along with Catholic Central baseball teammates Connor Wegge and Danny Gardner, accompanied Austin’s girlfriend Jan. 18 in the hospital room. It was the first visit Austin remembers.

Austin said he suffered a severe concussion, and headaches would last an hour.

“I had to be fed through a nose tube because my jaw was wired shut,” he added.

Jim said Austin is getting better but suffers long-term memory loss on a daily basis.

“We just continued to pray, we know that’s what saved him,” Jim said. “We were thankful to have the community behind us.”

Jim said Austin was pulled out of his truck by extrication, as the front of the truck pinned Austin inside the car.

“The first month, we never left the hospital. Time kept going for people while we sat and waited. He lost control of his truck, and they hit a tree.”

“One of the hardest things is people say how great he looks, but Lisa and I know how it really is. He’s healed well, but he has an extensive brain injury that’s still healing.”

“It’s his memory. Sometimes, he’s slower to bring up things, his thought process is a little slow. There’s days he’ll tell me the same story twice and not remember he told us. He’s still tired at the end of the day, and every morning he wakes up, he still feels like he hit a tree. But his body is healing.”

Doctors say they expect a complete recovery, Jim said. They say he’d be cleared to play sports in a year.

“We go back every month for checkups at Children’s Hospital,” Jim said. “We don’t know what to expect. We’re happy he’s improving, but he’s upset because he wants to be on that court playing basketball.

“Sometimes, he feels he’s letting the team down.”

Austin’s team showed up when he needed it most, with coaches and players making the 90-minute round trip to Children’s multiple times.

“Coach Scott was up three times a week,” Jim said.

Moving forward

McKinney was flying around Tuesday at practice, providing stout interior defense against team leading scorer Ben Heiligenthal.

After a brief hospital visit, McKinney was back on the court for the Toppers last month.

“I feel really good, but I’m still out of shape,” McKinney said. “I’m just glad to see Austin back. It’s great he’s OK.”

“It’s an incredible opportunity to play at state. I feel blessed to be a part of the team right now. We’ve fought to get to where we are.”

Sam said he looked at a picture of a friend and himself while at the hospital, and he said he looked different.

“I had a new picture of life and saw it from a different angle,” he said.

Austin said Parker is also fully recovered but had to stay in the hospital overnight, like McKinney.

Austin said he was floored that conference rival Racine Lutheran hosted a “Team Peanut” fundraiser when it hosted Catholic Central. At the initial “Team Peanut” game in January in Burlington, the Catholic Central community took a group photo with “Team Peanut” T-shirts on.

Austin said he has two pictures, one with the fans and one specifically with players, framed on his bedroom wall.

“Mrs. Razor (our guidance counselor) brought me a T-shirt about Jan. 20,” he said. “I was grateful obviously, but I was in awe there was an entire game for me. I was humbled, and it meant a lot to me.”

Austin said he rebounds the made baskets for the guys during practice, and his new role is offering basketball advice. He won’t hesitate to encourage his teammates Friday at the Kohl Center.

“If they do something good, I tell them they’re doing good, but if I see something they can fix, I say something,” Austin said.

“At the second game I was back, I saw something in Frankie Koehnke’s shot. I told him to keep his elbow in, he did it and he made his next shot. That was nice, because in the first game back I felt like I was just there (and didn’t contribute).”

Austin said the screw in his ankle will be removed this week, and he gets to “try to walk.”

“First off, thank you to everyone who donated and visited,” Austin said. “I’m doing great, I’m slowly getting back and healing really well. Next basketball season, I’ll be out there ready to play.”

“From the bottom of our hearts, thanks for thinking of us,” Jim added. “It wasn’t done on Earth that day, it was someone up above that saved him.”