The Dickinson County Road Commission, working with Michigan State Police, managed to analyze debris left behind to determine the guardrail was struck on or near Saturday, Aug. 2, by a cayenne red or maroon Nissan Altima manufactured in or near 2015, according to a news release Thursday from Jim Harris, road commission managing director.

The vehicle likely had substantial front-end damage, Harris said. While much of the debris had been cleared at the site, enough fragments were found to determine the color and model.

The crash was not reported and MSP continues to investigate.

The road commission is offering a reward of up to $500 for information that leads to restitution for the guardrail damage, which will cost an estimated $5,000 to $7,500 to repair, Harris said.

Guardrail damage is shown along County Road 607 near the Carpenter Memorial in Breitung Township. The Dickinson County Road Commission is offering a reward of up to $500 for information that leads to restitution for repairs. (Dickinson County Road Commission)

The road commission operates on limited funding, so having to spend that amount on the guardrail rather than other projects — such as replacing a culvert or signs in poor condition — is “just a shame,” Harris said.

The road commission can be reached at 906-774-1588, or MSP can be reached at 906-774-2122.

The Carpenter Monument is about 3 miles north of Iron Mountain at the Michigan entrance to the historic Upper Twin Falls Bridge. It tributes Gilbert V. Carpenter, a Dickinson County road engineer who died as the result of a World War I German U-boat attack off the New Jersey coast in June 1918.