A 16-year-old Johnson High School student was seriously injured late Tuesday night when he lost control of an SUV, struck a road sign, went down a 20-30 foot embankment, traveled across a creek and struck a tree, according to authorities.

Gainesville firefighters responded to the accident on Dixie Drive off Browns Bridge Road and used ropes to access and remove the teen, identified by the Hall County School System as Ivan Diaz.

He was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center by ambulance, according to fire department spokesman Division Chief Keith Smith. Diaz was in intensive care as of Wednesday afternoon.

The wreck happened about 11:40 p.m. when the teen was traveling south on Dixie, then traveled off the right shoulder, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

Charges are pending. Alcohol was not a factor, according to the patrol.

Johnson’s soccer team, which is playing Saturday in the state championship, planned to take Diaz a signed soccer ball, school officials said. The principal, Stan Lewis, also visited the hospital.