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Macomb Daily, MI
Oct 9 2005
Ford dealer Michael Dorian Sr. dies from injuries sustained in crash
PUBLISHED: October 8, 2005
By Chad Halcom
Macomb Daily Staff Writer
Auto dealer Michael Dorian Sr. died Friday of injuries suffered
Thursday in an auto accident.
Dorian Sr. of Bloomfield Hills, who worked his way up from
used-car-lot worker to the owner of a Ford dealership, died at 2:25
a.m. after his car on Thursday drifted over into opposing traffic on
busy Cass Avenue in downtown Mount Clemens. He was 80.
"He never really fully retired, or even semi-retired as some people
call it," said daughter Carolyn Dorian, who serves as parts and
service manager of her father's auto dealership. "He'd still come
into work every day, at least until 1 p.m. or so. And he'd call five
times a day. That's the part we're going to miss."
Macomb County sheriff's investigators believe Dorian, founder of Mike
Dorian Ford in Clinton Township, may have had the onset of a medical
"condition" that caused him to lose control of his 2005 Ford 500 some
time before colliding with two other vehicles Thursday.
Officials said it was his injuries from the crash, not any event
preceding it, that ultimately took his life. But it remains unclear
whether Dorian was conscious or lucid in the moments before the
accident.
"Nothing in our investigation can tell us" whether Dorian could have
survived whatever caused him to lose control of the vehicle under
different circumstances, said Macomb County Sheriff's Capt. Anthony
Wickersham. "But we do know the cause of death is the extent of his
injuries from the accident."
Dorian, a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II,
started the business decades ago in Detroit before moving the company
to its longstanding location in Clinton Township. He had retired from
the day-to-day operations of the business some years ago, entrusting
it to son, Michael Jr.
Born in March 1925 to immigrant parents who had found work in
Detroit, he remained sympathetic and supportive to organizations such
as the ARS Armenian Orphanage Sponsorships Program, which aids
orphaned children with foster care and other costs.
Macomb County medical examiner Daniel Spitz, who conducted an autopsy
on Dorian Friday, said the man had a history of several medical
conditions but he could not conclude that any were the cause of his
accident. Although heart disease and diabetes were among his past
ailments, Spitz said he found no signs Dorian was having a heart
attack.
"It doesn't appear that way," Spitz said. "From his history there's a
good chance of a medical event, but can I tell you he wasn't just
distracted or trying to change the station on his radio?"
An accident investigation and witness accounts indicate Dorian's
vehicle was heading eastbound on Cass Avenue in Mount Clemens when it
crossed into opposing traffic and clipped or ricocheted against a
westbound Chevy Suburban, then collided head-on with a
tractor-trailer truck carrying hot tar.
After the military, Dorian attended Michigan State University and
later Lawrence Technological University, where he studied finance.
After some time selling used cars, he eventually became a Ford dealer
and opened for business in 1964.
Dorian moved the business to Clinton Township in 1973, where it has
remained ever since at its location near 15 Mile Road on Gratiot,
Carolyn said. In honor of her father, she said, several dealerships
along Gratiot had lowered their flags to half-staff.
In additional to Carolyn Dorian and General Manager Michael Jr.,
Dorian is survived by another child, daughter, Michele who works as a
civil engineer. He also leaves behind three grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Hamilton Funeral
Home, 820 E. Maple Road, Birmingham. Burial arrangements afterward
will be private. Visitation is from 4-9 p.m. Sunday and from 4 p.m.
until the time of service Monday at the funeral home. Memorial
contributions may be made to the ARS Armenian Orphanage Sponsorships
Program.
Oct 9 2005
Ford dealer Michael Dorian Sr. dies from injuries sustained in crash
PUBLISHED: October 8, 2005
By Chad Halcom
Macomb Daily Staff Writer
Auto dealer Michael Dorian Sr. died Friday of injuries suffered
Thursday in an auto accident.
Dorian Sr. of Bloomfield Hills, who worked his way up from
used-car-lot worker to the owner of a Ford dealership, died at 2:25
a.m. after his car on Thursday drifted over into opposing traffic on
busy Cass Avenue in downtown Mount Clemens. He was 80.
"He never really fully retired, or even semi-retired as some people
call it," said daughter Carolyn Dorian, who serves as parts and
service manager of her father's auto dealership. "He'd still come
into work every day, at least until 1 p.m. or so. And he'd call five
times a day. That's the part we're going to miss."
Macomb County sheriff's investigators believe Dorian, founder of Mike
Dorian Ford in Clinton Township, may have had the onset of a medical
"condition" that caused him to lose control of his 2005 Ford 500 some
time before colliding with two other vehicles Thursday.
Officials said it was his injuries from the crash, not any event
preceding it, that ultimately took his life. But it remains unclear
whether Dorian was conscious or lucid in the moments before the
accident.
"Nothing in our investigation can tell us" whether Dorian could have
survived whatever caused him to lose control of the vehicle under
different circumstances, said Macomb County Sheriff's Capt. Anthony
Wickersham. "But we do know the cause of death is the extent of his
injuries from the accident."
Dorian, a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II,
started the business decades ago in Detroit before moving the company
to its longstanding location in Clinton Township. He had retired from
the day-to-day operations of the business some years ago, entrusting
it to son, Michael Jr.
Born in March 1925 to immigrant parents who had found work in
Detroit, he remained sympathetic and supportive to organizations such
as the ARS Armenian Orphanage Sponsorships Program, which aids
orphaned children with foster care and other costs.
Macomb County medical examiner Daniel Spitz, who conducted an autopsy
on Dorian Friday, said the man had a history of several medical
conditions but he could not conclude that any were the cause of his
accident. Although heart disease and diabetes were among his past
ailments, Spitz said he found no signs Dorian was having a heart
attack.
"It doesn't appear that way," Spitz said. "From his history there's a
good chance of a medical event, but can I tell you he wasn't just
distracted or trying to change the station on his radio?"
An accident investigation and witness accounts indicate Dorian's
vehicle was heading eastbound on Cass Avenue in Mount Clemens when it
crossed into opposing traffic and clipped or ricocheted against a
westbound Chevy Suburban, then collided head-on with a
tractor-trailer truck carrying hot tar.
After the military, Dorian attended Michigan State University and
later Lawrence Technological University, where he studied finance.
After some time selling used cars, he eventually became a Ford dealer
and opened for business in 1964.
Dorian moved the business to Clinton Township in 1973, where it has
remained ever since at its location near 15 Mile Road on Gratiot,
Carolyn said. In honor of her father, she said, several dealerships
along Gratiot had lowered their flags to half-staff.
In additional to Carolyn Dorian and General Manager Michael Jr.,
Dorian is survived by another child, daughter, Michele who works as a
civil engineer. He also leaves behind three grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Hamilton Funeral
Home, 820 E. Maple Road, Birmingham. Burial arrangements afterward
will be private. Visitation is from 4-9 p.m. Sunday and from 4 p.m.
until the time of service Monday at the funeral home. Memorial
contributions may be made to the ARS Armenian Orphanage Sponsorships
Program.