Longtime Ann Arbor dentist killed in one-car crash in St. Clair County
An Ann Arbor dentist was killed in a one-car accident Sunday in St. Clair County's Riley Township after swerving to avoid a deer while driving on Interstate 69, according to reports.
Peter Drescher
From peterdrescherdds.com
Whitmore Lake resident Peter Drescher, 57, was killed when he swerved his 2004 Oldsmobile Bravada to avoid hitting a deer in the freeway, near Braidwood Road just before 9:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a report from 1380 AM WPHM Radio. Witnesses said the car rolled and Drescher was ejected.
He died at the scene of the crash.
According to an obituary in the Port Huron Times Herald, Drescher worked as a dentist in Ann Arbor and had his own practice at 606 W. Stadium Blvd. A Port Huron native who graduated from Port Huron Northern High School in 1973, Drescher attended the University of Michigan for his undergraduate degree and graduated from the School of Dentistry.
Drescher was an avid sailor and his family has asked mourners to send donations to the Port Huron Yacht Club, the Sarnia Yacht Club or a charity in lieu of flowers, the obituary stated.
His funeral is scheduled for noon Thursday at the Dorfman Chapel, 30440 W. 12 Mile Road in Farmington Hills. For more information on funeral services, click here.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Charley Sullivan
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 8:52 a.m.
This is the man who got me to floss, after half of life of never really having done so. That, in and of itself, is dental magic. I'll do so extra well tonight. Pete, you were a class act, through and through, and you'll be missed. I'll say Kaddish for you. Shalom!
Ian Perrin
Thu, Oct 11, 2012 : 12:45 a.m.
I think it is rude and unnecessary to discuss what Dr. Drescher should have done to save his life, considering the circumstances regarding his accident. A good, caring man has died, and we should respect the loss of him to our community. Peter Drescher was not only an outstanding dentist, but an outstandingly kind man, who never once treated me, nor my mother, with any less care than he would a family member. I am deeply saddened by this loss, and wish his family, friends, patients, and coworkers, nothing less than the absolutely best as they deal with this great tragedy.
Dog Lover
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 9:41 p.m.
This is horrible news. As many have said, Dr. Pete was such a wonderful person and a caring dentist. His staff were just as wonderful. Thoughts go to Dr. Pete's family, friends and staff. He's now sailing the big ship in the sky. Bon Voyage Dr. Pete.
rsa221
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 8:16 p.m.
I did not know Dr. Drescher, but my heart goes out to his family and friends.
andys
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 6:34 p.m.
This is shocking, and so sad. I've been a patient of Pete's since the 1980's. He was a great dentist, and a super nice guy. I will miss him.
Mac
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 5:58 p.m.
Why was comment removed? I followed guidelines.
Allison
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 4:05 p.m.
I am so very sad to hear about this. Dr. Drescher has been our family dentist for over 15 years. It will be tough sharing this news with my kids. He was a great dentist and very friendly, asking about the family and often remembering conversations we'd had 6 months before. His office staff is wonderful too. My heart goes out to his staff and friends and family members.
John Counts
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 3:34 p.m.
Thanks, Rork Kuick. We're currently working on a story regarding car-deer accidents. Look for it soon.
ArthGuinness
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 2:18 p.m.
First, it's going to be difficult to remember in a moment's notice if I should swerve or just hit the object. If it's a human, I'm definitely going to attempt swerving. I'm just not sure how wise it is to condition yourself to just hit things in the road instead of going around them. Better yet, take some sort of defensive driving or car control class (some are offered by the BMW CCA, you don't need a BMW to attend) and learn how to properly control a car during avoidance maneuvers. Second, Unusual Suspect is correct that airbags will generally go off only if they are needed, depending on the deceleration and direction and some other factors. I used to work at an airbag company and the algorithms are complex but very well tested (and must pass government standards). In this case it would depend on how directly you hit the deer.
ArthGuinness
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 2:20 p.m.
Sorry, this was supposed to be a reply to michael Limmer's first post.
Rork Kuick
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 2:05 p.m.
I don't want to imply anything could have helped here, but an article about deer risks every year on about Sep 20 or Oct 1 would be good public service. We are in the days of greatest danger. Be paranoid, remind friends even though they know already, share information about where the danger is greatest, teach the younger drivers, don't tailgate, etc. Perhaps one appeared again this year and I just missed it.
Michelle McCarthy
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 12:55 p.m.
Such sad news, he has been our dentist for many years. A tremendous loss for his family and patients. We will miss him.
Fester
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 12:20 p.m.
Did his seat belt fail causing him to be ejected?
BobbleHead Joe
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 5:40 p.m.
This is very important to know for the living. While very sad, airbags work and many choose not to wear one. Ask L. Brooks if he will wear one now. He and his driver are lucky to be alive. The status of a driver that was thrown from a crash and killed, that was not buckled in, is validation for the ones who support their use. A notice that you are making a correct choice. I am sorry for the family and friends.
Soothslayer
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 1:09 p.m.
guess that's not important enough info for us to know
Mermaidswim
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 12:13 p.m.
I am so sad to read this. I really really liked him as a dentist and an overall great person.
Thoughtful
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 11:07 a.m.
Condolences to the family, he was obviously a kind man and animal lover. May his family have peace with his last thoughts were to save a living being.
Blue Marker
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 11:07 a.m.
I was shocked when I open this story. Pete was my dentist for years and truly one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. I'm so saddened by this. That is a very close knit office and I'm sure they're devastated. My prayers go out to the Drescher family and all the office staff. I'm just so sad to read this.
Tru2Blu76
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 9:22 a.m.
I'm truly saddened. Most comments here indicate he was a good man and a good dentist: there are too few of either these days. I never will understand this deer / car collision thing. By experience and observation: most times, deer are hit by cars and the cars just keep going, leaving the dead or wounded deer on the roadside (or in the traffic lane where they'll be pounded to a bloody pulp).
Linda Peck
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 4:40 a.m.
I pray for blessings for the Drescher family. I knew some members of this family when I lived in Port Huron. I am very sorry to hear this.
Jojo B
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 3:47 a.m.
My prayers go out to Peter's family. He was a great person, loved his family, and this is incredibly sad.
DannnyA
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 2:45 a.m.
Shocking and very very sad. Anybody who knew Pete knew he was the nicest man and a very good dentist. It always felt like I was going to see a friend when I went to his office. I believe he was the Governor's dentist also. Blessed is his memory.
Little Patience
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 1:46 a.m.
So sad to see this. Dr. Drescher was our dentist for several years. I always thought he was a very nice guy. My prayers go to his loved ones...
Unusual Suspect
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 1:31 a.m.
Dr. Drescher was a good and and a good dentist with good bed-side (that is, chair-side) manner. I enjoyed talking sailing with him. We will miss him.
Blue Marker
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 11:09 a.m.
He took care of our whole family and always asked about my kids, remembering their names. If I wanted to distract him from looking at my horrible gums I'd bring up sailing and his eyes would light up.
tdw
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 1:09 a.m.
That's a real bummer.He was my dentist for several years.Real nice guy real easy to talk to.He even helped me out when I had a insurance lapse one time.Sad.
michael Limmer
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 12:24 a.m.
Experts say just hit the deer, preferably head on. Your air bag will go off and the auto will suffer serious damage, but you get to live.
Unusual Suspect
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 12:30 p.m.
They may or they may not. Whether air bags are deployed is based on the rate of deceleration, not the amount of force involved in the collision. If they don't deploy, it's because they weren't needed. If a car goes off the road and rolls, as in this story, deceleration likely occurred over a longer period of time and therefore at rate less than required for air bag deployment.
Jojo B
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 3:46 a.m.
@Tom -- When you hit a full size deer head on at a significant speed, your airbags most certainly do deploy. I have firsthand experience of that and so does a friend of mine who just had his car totaled last week. Deer can do some significant damage. Perhaps by light animals, you are thinking of raccoons and skunks.
Tom
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 : 12:40 a.m.
Just a minor correction. It is unlikely your airbags will "go off" by hitting a relatively light aninmal such as a deer.