COOPER TWP., Mich.,–Two men from the Kalamazoo area were killed in a chain reaction crash early Tuesday morning. The accident happened at 4:30 a.m. near the intersection of Douglas Avenue and Lanfair Street in Cooper Township.
Clarence Madison, who lives nearby, tried to go out and help when he heard the commotion. “I saw the lights and the taillights of the motorcycle crash right here just pass the corner and then I was sitting right there the car flipped and landed right there.
” The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s office says 55-year-old Theobald Metzger was traveling southbound on Douglas Ave when he hit a deer and lost control of his motorcycle. He was thrown off and killed. Just shortly after, 78-year-old Edmund Janke was driving down Douglas, he too lost control of his car as he swerved to try and miss Metzger who was lying in the road.
Janke was killed instantly, deputies say he wasn’t wearing his seat belt and was ejected from the car when it flipped. Deputies say speed isn’t believed to be a factor.
Those who knew Janke say he went by Pete and he was a member of the Ostego VFW Post 3030. Friends like Ken Adams spent the day sharing stories about him. Adams says he has known Janke for more than 50 years.
Metzger, who family says went by ‘Buzz,’ was a father of three. His wife says he was a good Christian man and friends say he always had a smile on his face. He also loved to bowl and was a member of the Kalamazoo Bowling Association.
