The Ponder High School senior that has been in the ICU since a sledding accident Monday afternoon succumbed to his injuries Thursday afternoon.
A social media post from Ponder football coach Marcus Schulz confirmed 17-year-old Caden Nowicki’s passing.
“With heavy hearts, our #44 Caden Nowicki crossed through the gates into our Heavenly Father[‘s] arms today,” he said. “We all know God hand-selected His inside linebacker.”
Schulz has been providing updates to family and community members via social media since Nowicki was first taken to the hospital after the accident.
A report from the Texas Department of Public Safety indicated Nowicki was sitting on a kayak that was being pulled by an ATV Monday afternoon when he was thrown from the kayak and into a fence.
He was taken to Medical City Denton where he was treated in the intensive care unit before passing on Thursday.
“Please continue to pray for the Nowicki family,” said Schulz. “Rest easy and fly high, #44.”
Ponder ISD will be accepting food gift cards to help support Nowicki’s family, which can be dropped off at the admin building at 300 W. Bailey Street when the district reopens Monday.
Nowicki is one of three victims of sledding accidents since Winter Storm Fern covered North Texas with a layer of ice and snow.
Two teen girls from Frisco also died from their injuries when they hit a tree while being pulled on a sled by a Jeep, prompting local officials to warn about sledding dangers.
