WINSTON — A 17-year-old from Winston was taken to Mercy Medical Center after he crashed his skateboard into a fire hydrant Sunday afternoon, police said this morning.

Nicholas Ashton Payne sustained about an 18- to 20-inch gouge in his left thigh and was knocked unconscious after the 1:50 p.m. crash, according to a Roseburg Police Department report.

According to a hospital spokeswoman, he was later transferred to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield. A hospital spokeswoman said he was listed in critical condition this morning.

Police say Payne was riding a skateboard down Alameda Avenue near the intersection of Winter Street when he did not make a curve and collided with the hydrant.