Dexter High School Alumnus Killed in ATV Crash

The family of 23-year-old Richard Francis Scannell III will hold a visitation Thursday for the Dexter High School alumnus.

Scannell, a Dexter Township resident, when the ATV he was driving near Riker road near Orchard Ridge lost control and struck a fence before overturning several times.

The service is from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at the Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home in Chelsea. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at the same location. Friends and family are invited to attend a luncheon immediately after at in Dexter.

Sgt. David Archer of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department said officers have not determined whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.

“We do know that the deceased was not wearing a helmet,” Archer said.

Scannell was taken to the University of Michigan Hospital and died of his injuries. A 22-year-old passenger on the ATV was not injured in the crash.

Archer said the accident is still under investigation but it appears poor visibility was a contributing factor.

“ATVs are dangerous and using one at night when its dark out can be a risk,” he said.

According to Scannell's obituary on the Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home Web site, he was a 2005 graduate of DHS and worked as a roofer for Bloom Roofing in Brighton for several years.