Latest news with #drunkdriving
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Graduation celebration ends in tragedy as homecoming king is 'killed by his friend in drunk driving crash'
A Minnesota high school graduation celebration ended in tragedy after an alleged drunk driving crash killed the school's homecoming king and left his classmate facing felony charges. Blake Unger, 18, a beloved homecoming king and standout athlete from New York Mills High School, was killed on Tuesday when his classmate, Izak Schermerhorn, also 18, crashed his pickup truck while intoxicated. The two had been celebrating their recent graduation when the fatal accident occurred in Bluffton Township, in the area of County Highway 75 and 640th Avenue. According to authorities, Schermerhorn had consumed three to four Mike's Hard Lemonades before picking up his friend for a late-night drive. Schermerhorn admitted to intentionally fishtailing on a gravel road and claimed he had been showcasing recent modifications to his truck's exhaust. 'Deputy Peterson observed deep ruts in the road where it appeared the driver had been aggressively fishtailing back and forth along the gravel road,' the criminal complaint reads, Fox9 reported. However, Schermerhorn eventually lost control of his truck, causing the vehicle to flip and roll into a ditch and pin Unger underneath. Despite efforts to revive him, Unger was pronounced dead at the scene. Schermerhorn, who had reportedly been sober for a year following a past struggle with alcoholism, expressed deep remorse to deputies, stating, 'I f***ed up' and that his life was over 'for a couple of drinks'. His blood alcohol content was measured at 0.13 - well above the legal limit for drivers of any age. He now faces three counts of criminal vehicular homicide - two for driving under the influence and one for gross negligence. A judge released him on $1,000 bail on Thursday, with conditions including counseling and abstaining from alcohol and drugs. He is scheduled to return to court on June 10. Unger was remembered for his athleticism and leadership, particularly his game-saving interceptions in football and his contributions to the wrestling team. 'It is with a great deal of sadness that I share this message with you … that a member of our school community has passed away in a motor vehicle accident,' District Superintendent Adam Johnson said in a statement to families. 'This is a devastating time for our entire community.' GoFundMe fundraiser has since been created to support the family through their loss.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Driver at fault in deadly Yellowstone crash had blood alcohol level twice the legal limit: police
A driver who crashed a pickup into a tour van near Yellowstone National Park earlier this month, causing the death of seven people including himself, had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit for driving, police said Friday. Isaiah Moreno, 25, of Humble, Texas, was operating a Dodge Ram pickup truck on U.S. Highway 20 in eastern Idaho when his vehicle crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Mercedes tour van carrying more than a dozen people. Both vehicles burst into flames, and Moreno, along with six people from China, Italy and California, were killed. Survivors were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries. Yosemite National Park Employee Dies From Mysterious Injuries In Staff Housing The deadly crash happened near Henrys Lake, about 16 miles west of Yellowstone in Wyoming. Yellowstone is one of the country's largest national parks and draws millions of visitors each year. Moreno had a blood alcohol level of .20%, Idaho State Police said in a statement. The limit is .08%. Read On The Fox News App "This tragedy should be a wake-up call," police Capt. Chris Weadick said. "No one plans to cause a crash or take a life when they get behind the wheel, but choices have consequences." Video from the May 1 crash shows a red truck on the wrong side of the road, its front crushed and on fire, while the tour van is engulfed in flames. Survivors were being tended to on the side of the road while a helicopter arrived. Los Angeles Tour Bus Crash Leaves 1 Dead, 32 Hospitalized On Mother's Day Roger Merrill, 60, told The Associated Press he was driving home when he came upon the collision, and he said there was an anxious wait for first responders. "It took an unnervingly long time for help to arrive just because of the location," he said. ISP troopers responded to the collision at milepost 399. The highway where the crash happened is on a route between Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons that is open in the spring before a north-south route is plowed and the park fully opens for summer. The victims in the tour van were named by Local News 8 as van driver Yu Zhang, 30, of Eastvale, California; Ivana Wen, 28, of Milan, Italy; Jianping Li, 71, of Guangxi, China; Xiaoming Jiang, 66, of Guilin, China; Li Nie, 64, of Arcadia, California; and Aifeng Wan, 53, also of Arcadia, California. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: Driver at fault in deadly Yellowstone crash had blood alcohol level twice the legal limit: police
Fox News
2 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Driver at fault in deadly Yellowstone crash had blood alcohol level twice the legal limit: police
A driver who crashed a pickup into a tour van near Yellowstone National Park earlier this month, causing the death of seven people, had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit for driving, police said Friday. Isaiah Moreno, 25, of Humble, Texas, was operating a Dodge Ram pickup truck on U.S. Highway 20 in eastern Idaho when his vehicle crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Mercedes tour van carrying more than a dozen people. Both vehicles burst into flames, and Moreno, along with six people from China, Italy and California, were killed. Survivors were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries. The deadly crash happened near Henrys Lake, about 16 miles west of Yellowstone in Wyoming. Yellowstone is one of the country's largest national parks and draws millions of visitors each year. Moreno had a blood alcohol level of .20%, Idaho State Police said in a statement. The limit is .08%. "This tragedy should be a wake-up call," police Capt. Chris Weadick said. "No one plans to cause a crash or take a life when they get behind the wheel, but choices have consequences." Video from the May 1 crash shows a red truck on the wrong side of the road, its front crushed and on fire, while the tour van is engulfed in flames. Survivors were being tended to on the side of the road while a helicopter arrived. Roger Merrill, 60, told The Associated Press he was driving home when he came upon the collision, and he said there was an anxious wait for first responders. "It took an unnervingly long time for help to arrive just because of the location," he said. ISP troopers responded to the collision at milepost 399. The highway where the crash happened is on a route between Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons that is open in the spring before a north-south route is plowed and the park fully opens for summer. The victims in the tour van were named by Local News 8 as van driver Yu Zhang, 30, of Eastvale, California; Ivana Wen, 28, of Milan, Italy; Jianping Li, 71, of Guangxi, China; Xiaoming Jiang, 66, of Guilin, China; Li Nie, 64, of Arcadia, California; and Aifeng Wan, 53, also of Arcadia, California.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Drunk driving blamed in Yellowstone crash that killed tourists, pickup driver
The Brief A pickup driver with a blood alcohol level of 0.20 crashed into a tour van near Yellowstone, killing seven people. The crash occurred after the driver crossed the center line, causing both vehicles to catch fire. Victims included tourists from China, Italy, and California; survivors were hospitalized. BOISE, Idaho - Authorities said the driver of a pickup that crashed into a tour van near Yellowstone National Park this month, killing seven people, had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit for driving. Dig deeper The driver, identified previously as Isaih Moreno of Humble, Texas, had a blood alcohol content of 0.20, Idaho State Police said in a statement. The limit is 0.08. RELATED: Idaho police: Truck crossed line before deadly van crash near Yellowstone Investigators determined that the Dodge Ram driven by Moreno crossed the center line and collided with the Mercedes van, which was carrying 14 people, in the May 1 crash. Both vehicles caught fire. Moreno and six people from China, Italy and California were killed. Survivors were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries. The highway where the crash happened south of West Yellowstone, Montana, is a route between Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons that is open in the spring before a north-south route is plowed and the park fully opens for summer. What they're saying "This tragedy should be a wake-up call," police Capt. Chris Weadick said. "No one plans to cause a crash or take a life when they get behind the wheel, but choices have consequences." Big picture view Yellowstone is one of the country's largest national parks and draws millions of visitors each year. The Source The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story came from an official statement by Idaho State Police, who provided details about the driver's blood alcohol content and the circumstances of the crash. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Judge's blistering attack on woman who can't stop drink-driving after she kills AGAIN in SECOND fatal crash
A Florida judge delivered a blistering courtroom attack on a repeat drunk driver who killed her own cousin in a horror crash - her second fatal drink-driving conviction in seven years. Jennifer Carvajal, 28, has been sentenced to 67 years in prison for causing a crash that killed her own cousin and seriously injured two others in 2021. The Plant City, Florida, woman wept and buried her face as a judge delivered a scathing verdict that will keep her locked up until her late 70s, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times. The crash killed Pedro Carbajal and seriously injured two other people near Interstate 4. Judge G. Gregory Green said he struggled to comprehend how she could commit the same deadly crime twice in her lifetime. 'It is almost as if instead of taking every step to avoid putting yourself in that situation again, you took steps to ensure that it happened,' the Hillsborough Circuit judge told the repeat offender. 'And that is incomprehensible for this court,' he added. The first time Carvajal drove drunk and killed someone in 2014, she received just five years in prison. The second time, she got two-thirds of a century behind bars. Carvajal reportedly wept in court throughout the four-hour sentencing hearing -repeatedly apologizing to her dead cousin's devastated family. 'No matter how many sorrys I say to each of you, or even him, I could never forgive myself,' Carvajal said, as reported by the outlet. The court heard how Carvajal had a traumatic childhood, including sexual abuse by male relatives that only came to light when she was diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease at age nine. She never received proper mental health treatment for what was later identified as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. This led her to contemplate suicide and self-harm with broken glass. By age 11, she was already drinking beer and smoking weed at school as she desperately tried to cope with her psychological pain through alcohol abuse, her attorney told the court. Her own father was arrested when she was 11 for raping an older female relative and spent five years in prison before he was deported to Mexico, the Tampa Bay Times revealed. She was hospitalized for two suicide attempts, according to court records obtained by the outlet. 'Jennifer committed these acts because she's broken,' said Assistant Public Defender Nicole Engebretsen. 'She was a broken child that never healed.' Carvajal has a traumatic childhood, including sexual abuse by male relatives that only came to light when she was diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease at age nine But prosecutors didn't show mercy for the repeat killer. 'Two people have lost their lives at the hands of Jennifer Carvajal,' Assistant State Attorney Dawn Hart told the cour5t. 'This community is not safe if Miss Carvajal is ever allowed back in society.' Carvajal was arrested on April 25, 2021, after an 111 mph police chase that led to a deadly crash. When the trooper tried to pull her over, Carvajal made a hard right turn that sent the Hyundai Elantra down an embankment before going airborne and hitting a concrete light pole and a palm tree. It then overturned in the parking lot of a car dealership. Carvajal's cousin Pedro Carbajal, 22, was killed when he was ejected from the back seat of the car. Pedro's girlfriend Lexcia Gonzalez, 20, was also ejected from the back seat and broke both of her legs. A front seat passenger, 19-year-old Grady Ramirez, had 'incapacitating' injuries. When asked by the trooper who was driving the car, Gonzalez pointed to Carvajal - who denied she was the driver. The car was registered to Gonzalez. Carvajal's first deadly crash happened around 6.30am on February 5, 2014, when she was speeding down Alexander Street at 55mph in a gold Lincoln Navigator with her headlights off. She tore through a red light and plowed into a black Toyota Echo. The Toyota was being driven by a newspaper deliveryman, 52-year-old Keith Allen Davis, and was smashed into a concrete divider. Carvajal, who was then 16 years old, told a bystander that she had just received her learner's permit and didn't have insurance, according to the Tampa Bay Times. 'I am sorry, it was my fault,' Carvajal said as Davis lay on the ground bleeding and unconscious. Davis was taken a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Cops found an empty can of Four Loko, a cheap malt liquor favored by young partygoers, with an empty beer can and an empty bottle of Patron tequila, the outlet reported. Her blood content was measured at .13 - above the legal limit of .08. Carvajal pleaded no contest to charges of DUI manslaughter in an adult court and faced sentencing after she turned 18 years old.
