WALINGFORD -- Sheehan High School football players Jordan Davis, 16, and Tre Childers, 15, continue the hard road to recovery after being involved in a bad car accident Friday afternoon.
Davis, the driver, crashed into a tree on Highland Avenue. The accident was so bad that police said the car partially wrapped around the tree.
"My mom had just told me that my brother had been in a really bad car accident, and I needed to get there right away," said Kris Selvaggi, Davis's brother and an assistant coach for the Sheehan football team.
Selvaggi said his brother underwent major surgery, and is now back home resting. "He had significant injuries to his legs," said Selvaggi. "He did undergo surgery, so he's continuing to recover from that."
Tre's father, Ernie Childers, spoke to FOX 61 by phone from Yale-New Haven Hospital, where Childers remains in the pediatric intensive care unit. He has bleeding on the brain and a collapsed lung. He was undergoing MRIs Monday afternoon, as doctors continue to monitor brain swelling.
"He's progressing," said Childers. "Some smell steps, but they're positive." Childers said his son spoke words on Monday for the first time since the accident.
Childers and Selvaggi both described the outpouring of support as overwhelming. Go Fund Me pages for the boys have raised more than $18,000 overnight.
"Cheerleaders have been up trying to visit, regular students [too]," said Childers. "I've heard from coaches from neighboring towns."
"It really shows that we are a family, not a team," said Selvaggi, who noted that his brother and Childers have been friends since they were five.
"Seeing these guys like this is tough, but we're working together," said junior teammate Wes Terzi. "We're making sure food gets brought to them, they're comforted with us being with them."
"We're all in this together," said sophomore teammate Braedon McCarthy. "And all the prayers and support, they're just tremendous to us."
Childers father said he does not know how he will ever thank the community. Right now, however, he is just focused on making sure his son recovers. "He's not out of the woods yet, but he's going to get there," said Childers. "He's going to get there."
You can donate to their gofundme pages below: