PONDER, Texas – A Ponder ISD football player has died following a snow sledding accident earlier this week..
What we know:
Ponder head football coach Marcus Schulz confirmed that Caden Nowicki died Thursday, Jan. 29.
“With heavy hearts our #44 Caden Nowicki crossed through the gates into our heavenly Fathers arms today. We all know God hand selected His inside linebacker at 1:48pm. Please continue to pray for the Nowicki family. Rest Easy & Fly High #44 We Love You Wicki!,” Schulz posted on social media.
Timeline:
The Texas Department of Public Safety said the crash happened around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26 in the 400 block of Amyz Hill Road in Ponder, a town in Denton County located about 50 miles northwest of Dallas.
According to a preliminary investigation, an ATV was towing a kayak as a sled. The kayak left the roadway, causing the passenger, 17-year-old Caden Nowicki, to be ejected and crash into a fence.
Nowicki suffered critical injuries and remains in the intensive care unit at Medical City Denton.
The driver and a passenger on the ATV were not hurt.
What’s next:
Ponder First Baptist Church is holding a night of worship and prayer on Friday for Caden Nowicki and his family.
What they’re saying:
In a letter to Ponder ISD parents, Superintendent James Hill described Nowicki as a senior football player.
Rise in youth sledding accidents during Texas winter storm
A second teen died from the Frisco sledding accident from last weekend, the same day news spread that a Ponder ISD football player is in the ICU after a sledding accident. FOX 4’s Peyton Yager has more on the concerning rise in sledding accidents from this year’s winter storm.
“Caden is an outstanding young man who is loved by many,” Ponder ISD Superintendent James Hil said in a letter to parents. “We ask that you keep Caden, his family, and friends in your fervent prayers and respect their need for privacy during this very difficult time. Our hearts are with them.”
Local perspective:
Nowicki’s death is the third in the last week coming from a sledding accident.
A second teenager involved in a sledding accident in Frisco has died. Grace Brito’s mother confirmed her death on Tuesday night.
The 16-year-old’s sled, which was being towed by a Jeep, hit a tree over the weekend. Both she and her best friend, 16-year-old Elizabeth Angle, were hospitalized in critical condition. Angle died shortly after the crash.
Brito’s mother said her daughter had just received her driver’s license about two months ago. At the time, she chose to become an organ donor.
“We are still here, going through the organ donation process to honor Grace’s wishes. She was a selfless person who always wanted to make others smile and happy. God took a good one away far too soon,” her mother told FOX 4.
The Source: Information in this story came from social media and previous FOX 4 reporting.
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