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Teen Critical After Car Slides Off Road, Into Pond

FRAZEE, Minn. (WCCO) -- A teenager was seriously injured when the car he was driving slide off the road and ended upside down in a pond.

The Becker County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene on County Road 29 just north of Frazee, Minn. around 11:15 p.m. Friday. A motorist called authorities when they noticed a vehicle in the pond with the lights still on.

Rescue crews were able to remove the driver, who was the lone occupant, from the vehicle.

The driver was identified as 17-year-old Myrel John Schermerhorn, a student at Frazee High School who had been at the high school for a fundraising event.

Schermerhorn was transported to a Fargo hospital where he is listed in critical condition.

The Becker County Sheriff's Office said the accident appeared to be caused by "extremely dangerous road conditions due to compacted snow and ice."

Schermerhorn's vehicle began to skid on a curve and when he overcorrected, the vehicle slid off the roadway and into the pond.

Authorities said an investigation of the accident showed that Schermerhorn may have been submerged in the vehicle for about 20 minutes.

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