On Dec. 11, 2012, Mick Obenour was driving to work at the Dodge dealership in Hillsdale, Mich., just as he did every morning. The roads were slick from snowfall that had been packed down by traveling vehicles.
A 17-year-old male was also driving on the road around 8 a.m. Suddenly, the 17 year old swerved across M-99 in front of Beck Chevrolet and hit Obenour’s car head-on, Neal Brady, Hillsdale prosecuting attorney said. Obenour was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Brady.
The 17 year old, who is not being named by The Collegian because he is not a legal adult, has appeared in Hillsdale County District Court once and has another hearing scheduled for Feb. 27.
He was driving without a license at the time of the crash, Brady said. If convicted, he could face 15 years in jail for driving without a license and for vehicular manslaughter.
Obenour was not the only person affected by the crash, Brady said. The 17 year old had two passengers in his car, one of whom was severely injured.
Police are investigating the claim that the 17 year old was under influence of drugs at the time of the crash.
Obenour was a father. He was also a beloved mechanic in Hillsdale at Beck Chevrolet, said Sean Girdham. Girdham had known Obenour for 10 years.
“He was the only guy I’d let work on my truck,” Girdham said.
Girdham said there was a mutual respect between them because of their similar automotive interests. He felt free to tell Obenour what he thought was wrong with his truck, and Obenour listened. Girdham said he had never seen Obenour in a bad mood.
The night before Obenour’s accident, Girdham went to the dealership to have Obenour look at his wife’s car. Obenour was fixing breaks on another vehicle but told Girdham to drop the car off the next day.
“The last words I said to him were, ‘If I don’t see you tomorrow, have a Merry Christmas.’”
ndemacedo@hillsdale.edu
