ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- A community is mourning the loss of a high school graduate. Shawn Hagene, 18, just graduated from Pedro Menendez High School and had a bright future ahead of him.
Just before 3 o'clock police say he was traveling on SR 206 when for some reason he crossed into the opposite lane, left the road and struck two trees before flipping.
Mangled car parts, broken glass and a pair of flip-flop are all that's left on the side of SR 206.
"He was a great person. He had great respect for everybody," said friend John Amon. "He really didn't hate anybody, he was friends with everybody, he was a good person. He shouldn't have went like this."
Amon couldn't hold back the tears taking in the aftermath himself. He came Friday to the crash site to say goodbye to a good friend taken too soon.
"He was obsessed with his stupid truck. He liked fishing and hunting and playing in the mud."
Shawn had his whole life ahead of him. He graduated from Pedro Menendez High School less than a week ago.
"Just shook his hand, handed him a diploma," said Principal Dr. Clay Carmichael. "Very sad. The worst possible thing that could occur."
Dr. Carmichael says he was bright, popular and respected by both his peers and instructors.
"He actually taught me more than I taught him," said teacher Mike Rosenberg.
He was a standout student in the construction program. Rosenberg says his talents were a gift.
"Out of the hundreds of students I worked with there's always a few students that stand out that I can always ask for anything and they'll get it done and he's one of those guys."
Now, those who knew him are praying hard for a high school graduate with such a promising future.
His construction teacher called him a role model and says Shawn expressed interest is moving forward in the construction industry.
His legacy lives on out at the beach. He helped build all of the lifeguard towers there.
The investigation into what went wrong continues. FHP is looking into whether alcohol was a factor.
