Inset, left to right: Izak Schermerhorn (OTCDF) and Blake Unger (GoFundMe). Background: Otter Tail County Detention Facility (Google Maps).
An adolescent from Minnesota is accused of driving under the influence of Mike’s Hard Lemonade while attempting to demonstrate a modification to his truck’s exhaust, resulting in a crash. The accident caused the truck to overturn, tragically leading to the death of his friend and fellow student, who was in the passenger seat and became trapped underneath the vehicle.
Izak Schermerhorn, 18, was arrested earlier this week and faces three charges of vehicular homicide related to the death of his friend, Blake Unger, who was also 18, as per the records. Deputies from the Otter County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched around 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday to a locale near 370th Street and 640th Avenue in Bluffton Township, as described in court documents reported by Fox 9 in Minneapolis. This location is approximately 165 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
When authorities arrived at the crash scene, emergency personnel informed them that Unger, the victim, had been trapped under the truck, which lay on its side in a ditch by the road. Unger was declared dead at the location.
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Authorities said there was visible evidence indicating the vehicle was being driven in a reckless manner just prior to the incident.
“[A deputy] observed deep ruts in the road where it appeared the driver had been aggressively fishtailing back and forth along the gravel road before rolling,” the complaint reportedly states.
Deputies made contact with the driver, Schermerhorn, who they said smelled of alcohol and appeared to have glassy, bloodshot eyes.
When asked what happened, Schermerhorn allegedly explained that he had picked up Unger from Unger’s home and had been showing off a modification to his pickup truck, particularly the sound made by the vehicle’s exhaust.
“[Schermerhorn] said he wanted to show off the sound of his exhaust because he modified his catalytic converter,” a deputy wrote, according to a report from the Minnesota Star Tribune. “He intentionally had been sliding around the road before the crash and was not able to control the vehicle when it went into the ditch.”
After the crash, Schermerhorn reportedly phoned his mom before trying to shatter the driver’s side window of the truck, which is when he saw that his friend was wedged between the vehicle and the ground.
A breath test reportedly showed that Schermerhorn had a blood alcohol content of 0.13, well above the legal limit for individuals over age 21 to drive.
Schermerhorn reportedly told deputies that he had stopped drinking for about a year prior to the crash, but made the conscious decision to consume alcohol that evening “to celebrate” because he “was graduating from high school.”
Asked how much he had to drink, Schermerhorn reportedly responded that he had “three to four Mike’s Hard Lemonades” before allegedly decrying the effects the fatal crash would have on his own life.
“[Schermerhorn] repeatedly made statements that ‘his life was over and all for a couple of drinks,”” adding, “I f—ed up,” deputies reportedly wrote.
Unger was a recent graduate at New York Mills High School who starred in wrestling and football, Lakeland PBS reported. He was also named the school’s homecoming king. A GoFundMe for his memorial can be found here.
Schermerhorn was released from the Otter Tail County Detention Center after posting bond of $10,000, records show.
