Two Mattawan High School students, ages 15 and 16, were pronounced dead at the scene after the vehicle they were riding in left the roadway and struck a tree in Texas Township early Sunday. Three other students, ages 15, 16 and 17, were critically injured in the same crash, which left a close-knit school community reeling as classes resumed this week.
The vehicle was carrying five Mattawan High School students in all when it was traveling west on West R Avenue near South 2nd Street and left the south side of the road, according to mlive.com. Accounts differ slightly on the exact timing: WOOD-TV reported the crash happened around 3:20 a.m. Sunday, while mlive.com put the time at approximately 3:23 a.m. the same morning. Of the three injured students, two were listed in critical but stable condition as of Sunday, while the third remained in very critical condition, per the same mlive.com report.
Investigators Still Searching for Answers
Authorities had not determined why the vehicle left the roadway, and the crash cause remained under investigation, mlive.com reported. Officials also had not immediately released the students' names, and it remained unclear which of the five teens was driving. Michigan State Police, the Texas Township Fire Department and Life EMS all responded to and assisted at the scene, according to WXYZ.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office at 269-383-8748 or Silent Observer at 269-343-2100, mlive.com reported. The sheriff's office was not immediately available for additional comment Sunday evening, though it had expressed condolences to the families and friends of the students who died, along with support for the injured students and the Mattawan school community, per WXYZ.
School District Pledges Support for Students
Mattawan School District Superintendent Randy Fleenor confirmed that an accident involving five Mattawan High School students had resulted in loss of life, according to WOOD-TV. Fleenor said help and resources would be made available for both students and staff as the district processes the tragedy, the station reported. The Detroit News reported that classes were expected to continue as scheduled this week despite the loss.
The crash adds to a somber statewide picture of teen driving safety even as overall numbers have trended downward. Michigan's final 2025 crash data showed teen fatalities among those aged 13 to 19 fell 21 percent, dropping from 77 deaths to 61, according to the Michigan State Police. For the Mattawan community, though, the statistics offer little comfort this week as families of the five teens, and the broader student body, grapple with the aftermath of a single early-morning crash just outside Kalamazoo.
