Tommy Schleicher, seen here with his wife Stephanie, died after he was struck by a flying road sign dislodged by a hit-and-run driver on Feb. 21, 2023, in Orion Township, Michigan. The driver remains at large. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-SPEAK-UP or visit 1800speakup.org to report a tip. (GoFundMe)
It’s been more than 10 months since a motorist died in a freakish accident involving an airborne road sign struck by a hit-and-run driver.
Authorities are hoping a new $10,000 reward will entice someone to come forward with information leading to an arrest. It happened around 7:45 a.m. on Feb. 21, 2023, in Orion Township, Michigan. A car traveling north on Lapeer Road near Waldon Road in Orion Township traveled into the median and hit the road sign, which became dislodged and went flying. The sign went through 31-year-old Tommy Schleicher’s windshield on his 2013 Volkswagen Passat and hit him, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said. He was driving south on Lapeer Road as the vehicle’s sole occupant.
The Passat then veered off the road and came to rest against a tree. Deputies say the other driver never stopped. Paramedics rushed Schleicher to a nearby hospital where he remained until he died on March 1. Detectives were able to determine the offending vehicle was likely a silver or gray 2013-2015 Kia Optima which should have had front-end damage and possibly a crease in the hood.
Family friends who started a GoFundMe page said Schleicher had just dropped off his then-10-month-old son at day care and was headed to work when the accident occurred.
“It was a bizarre accident,” Tommy Schleicher’s wife, Stephanie, told the Detroit News in March.
His wife said he suffered serious head injuries and she made the decision to pull him off life support.
“It makes me so angry that this person just fled the scene,” Stephanie Schleicher told the News. “Even now, after all of this time, this person hasn’t come forward. I feel like someone has to know something.”
Stephanie Schleicher said on the GoFundMe page that her husband’s organs were donated after he died.
“Tom was such a kind, selfless person, we felt this was the best way to honor him,” his wife wrote.
After graduating from Grand Valley State University in 2014, he went on to work for Enterprise car rentals where he met his wife, his obituary said. They were married in 2017 and welcomed their son on March 28, 2022.
“Tom was known to all to be a selfless and warmhearted friend with a laugh that filled a room,” the obit said. “He was passionate about golf, baseball, enthusiastically dancing at weddings, and cars, though nothing brought him more joy than being a devoted husband and father.”
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said it’s important that the hit-and-run driver be located.
“We really need the public’s help with this case,” he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-SPEAK-UP or visit 1800speakup.org to report a tip.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
