Just days after tossing their caps and celebrating graduation, a small Minnesota town has been rocked by heartbreak. A teenager is dead, another is facing felony charges, and two families are left reeling after what was supposed to be a night of post-grad excitement ended in tragedy.
Eighteen-year-old Izak Schermerhorn has been charged with three counts of criminal vehicular homicide after allegedly causing a crash that killed his classmate and friend, Blake Unger. According to Fox 9, the crash happened on May 27 in Bluffton Township when Schermerhorn lost control of his vehicle, which ended up rolling into a ditch. When first responders arrived, they found Unger pinned underneath the overturned truck.
Investigators believe Schermerhorn had been drinking before the crash and had been messing around on the road trying to show off. He reportedly told deputies he was intentionally “sliding around” to show off the sound of his modified exhaust system. Things got out of control fast. The truck started fishtailing, and Schermerhorn couldn’t regain control before the vehicle went off the road.
A breath test showed his blood alcohol level at 0.13, well over the legal limit for drivers, and especially serious for someone underage. The criminal complaint reveals that Schermerhorn admitted to having three to four Mike’s Hard Lemonades and told deputies, “his life was over and all for a couple of drinks.” He also said, “he f—ed up,” clearly devastated by what had happened.
The story gets even more heartbreaking. Schermerhorn had been trying to stay away from alcohol, telling deputies he’d stopped drinking for a year because he knew he had a problem. But in the spirit of celebrating graduation, he gave in and decided to drink again, a decision that now has life-altering consequences.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Schermerhorn called his mom after the crash and then tried to break out of the driver’s side window. That’s when he realized Unger was trapped under the passenger side of the truck.
Blake Unger wasn’t just any student. He was a standout at New York Mills High School, known for his athleticism and big personality. He played football, baseball, and was on the wrestling team. Just last fall, his classmates voted him homecoming king, a sign of how well-loved he was by everyone around him.
Both Schermerhorn and Unger had just graduated last week, full of hope and plans for the future. Now, one is gone, and the other could be facing prison time.
In the wake of the tragedy, students from the classes of 2021, 2023, and 2025 have come together to launch a GoFundMe campaign to support Unger’s parents with funeral expenses. The loss has hit the community hard, and many are rallying to make sure Blake’s family doesn’t have to go through this pain alone.