Waterloo lost a young resident in a fiery car crash last week near Red Bud.

Emergency personnel responded shortly before midnight late last Wednesday night for a vehicle that struck a tree at a high rate of speed on Blackjack Road at a curve just south of Kuehner Drive west of Red Bud near the Randolph-Monroe County line.

The Red Bud Fire Department was among those at the scene along with MedStar EMS, Red Bud police and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department. 

Randolph County Sheriff Jarrod Peters said his department received a 911 call in reference to a single-car crash on Blackjack Road approximately one mile south of Kuehner Drive.

“When a deputy arrived on scene, the vehicle involved in the traffic accident was fully engulfed in flames up against a tree,” Peters stated in a press release. “A short time later, the Red Bud Fire Department arrived on scene and extinguished the fire. Once the fire was extinguished, it was discovered that there was one deceased occupant inside the vehicle.”

Late Friday morning, Randolph County Coroner Tracy Vallett identifed the crash victim as Nathan C. Frischkorn, 39, of Waterloo. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The death is being jointly investigated by the Randolph County Coroner’s Office and Randolph County Sheriff’s Office.

Frischkorn was a 2004 graduate of Waterloo High School. 

Among his surviving relatives are children Hadley and Brody Frischkorn, his mother Tracey Bender-Fahey and father Robert Frischkorn. 

Nathan’s stepfather Joe Fahey shared the sentiments of family and friends upon his sudden passing. 

“He loved his children. They were always his first priority,” Fahey said, adding he was “his brother’s keeper and always helped those in need.”

Frischkorn was also an avid hunter and firearms enthusiast who greatly enjoyed outdoor rides in the “mud truck” and his side-by-side UTV. 

He was also described as “a man of many talents” who enjoyed cooking, shooting pool and game nights with “The Gang” – a group of tight-knit friends and family who had remained close from childhood to the present.

A celebration of life is scheduled to take place from 5-10 p.m. Feb. 15 at Waterloo VFW Post 6504. 

The death is being jointly investigated by the Randolph County Coroner’s Office and Randolph County Sheriff’s Office.