FRANKLIN—An 18-year-old Franklin man remains in critical condition following a single-vehicle crash early Sunday, just hours after he graduated from Southampton High School.

Hudson Gavin was thrown from his vehicle when he ran off the road and into a utility pole on Flaggy Run Road near Main Street in Courtland, according to police reports.

The accident occurred around 2:45 a.m., less than eight hours after Gavin and 80 of his classmates received their diplomas in a ceremony at the high school in Courtland.

The force of the impact knocked down the pole and power lines, Virginia State Police spokesperson Sgt. Michelle Cotten said Tuesday. Flaggy Run was shut down for several hours until Virginia Power could remove the power lines from the road.

Cotten said Gavin was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. She said she was unsure whether he was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

He was flown by Nightingale helicopter to the Norfolk hospital.

Gavin is a member of the Hunterdale Fire Department, according to records filed at the Southampton County Circuit Court Clerk’s office. He is the son of Cabot Gavin of Franklin.