Hillsborough County boy loses part of leg, father still in serious condition after crash near Riverview

RIVERVIEW, Fla. - A Hillsborough County father and son are in the hospital after a crash near Riverview on Sunday.

Caden Pinnock, 7, and his father, CJ, are part of the East Bay Buccaneers' Mighty Mites. Caden plays for the youth football team and CJ is one of the team's coaches.

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The team's other coaches said Caden lost part of his left leg and CJ is still fighting for his life.

What we know:

Brian Owens and Will Storms, who also coach the Mighty Mites, said they were getting ready for practice on Sunday evening when they got gut-wrenching news from a family friend of Caden and CJ. They said the father and son had been involved in a car crash at U.S. 301 and 19th Avenue just south of Riverview on Sunday.

"Caden and his father were airlifted here to Tampa General," Owens said.

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They said Caden lost part of his left leg.

"They're praying and hoping that we can keep this below the knee, so we can keep that joint," Owen said.

They said CJ is still in serious condition.

"It's tough," Owens said. "It's a long road, and like I said, we're just praying for their family."

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What they're saying:

Owens and Storms visited Caden and his family in the hospital on Tuesday. They got to talk with Caden, who continues to undergo surgeries.

"He's so brave," Owens said. "We went up there to go talk to him and bring him a little something, and he signed both of our hats. We said we wanted our superhero's autograph, and with what little strength he had left, he scribbled on our hats for us. He's just an amazing kid. I think he's got more weight of tubes and stuff coming out of him than he weighs laying there."

Owens and Storms said Caden is one of their star players on the team.

"Caden's been there since day one," Owens said. "He's got a heart bigger than a lion. This kid, he's four-foot nothing, but hits like he's seven-foot-two."

From linebacker to quarterback, Caden's coaches said he's all over the football field. They said Baker Mayfield and Vita Vea are some of Caden's favorite players on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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"Can sling a football probably farther than Baker could at his age," Owens said. "He really, really inspires the team, inspires us coaches, because this is a kid who doesn't complain, doesn't gripe."

Storms described CJ as a passionate coach and father.

"Great guy, level head, very down-to-earth, great coach, great dad, good friend, somebody you could always count on, whether you just needed to talk about the day you had at work, or you want to talk strategy with the football field, he was there," Owens said.

The coaches said the team spends quite a few hours a week together, so they're like family to each other.

"They're irreplaceable people on our team and on our organization," Owens said. "Absolutely irreplaceable."

Owens said, if there's anything that could brighten Caden's long recovery ahead, it would be a visit from any of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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"If anybody from the Bucs wanted to go out and see Caden, that would just make his day," Owens said.

His coaches hope Caden and CJ will recover and be able to be on the sidelines, cheering on the Mighty Mites.

What's next:

The team continues to pray for their recovery.

Fox 13 reached out to the Florida Highway Patrol for more information on the crash and will update this story when more information becomes available.

Hillsborough County