Coach Marvin Rea and Kelli Bradley
Two Gary educators perish in 5-car pileup
Contributed By:The 411 News
ISP says distracted driver led to deaths of Coach Marvin Rea and Kelli Bradley
The loss of two Gary residents in a 5-vehicle accident just outside of Lafayette on Tuesday afternoon has the area in shock and mourning.
After notifying family members, Indiana State Police released their identity Wednesday morning as Coach Marvin Rea and Kelli Nicole Bradley, both of Gary.
Bradley, age 34, is a teacher at Block Middle School in East Chicago.
Coach Rea, 49, is an area basketball legend. He heads the basketball program at Gary Lighthouse charter school. Prior to Lighthouse, Rea was coach at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy and took his teams to state finals 4 times in five years.
Rea was driving southbound on I-65, with Bradley his passenger, when their vehicle and others ahead had stopped for a traffic accident near SR 26 south of Lafayette. Rea’s vehicle was struck from behind, crushing it beneath a flatbed trailer.
A preliminary investigation by ISP Troopers Stephen Grayson and Probationary Trooper Corey Brown has revealed that a white 2007 Freightliner pulling an intermodal container and driven by Ashraf M.Al-Rabba, 36, of Michigan was stopped for a crash south of his location. A red 1998 International pulling a flatbed and driven by Karl E. Klinge, 54, of Sherman, IL was stopped behind the Freightliner.
Rea’s passenger car was behind the stopped flatbed. A white box truck driven by Joseph Gais, 62, of Florissant, MO was coming up on the stopped vehicles and was slowing down. A white 2017 Freightliner pulling a car hauler and driven by Anthony J. Dick, 31, of Plainfield, IN apparently was distracted and did not see the traffic had come to a stop.
The state police report said, “It is unknown at this time if the white box truck hit the red car first or if the 2017 Freightliner ran into the back of the box truck and then pushed it into Rea’s car. That impact pushed Rea’s car underneath the flatbed killing both occupants. The white box truck was spun around and was pinned between the flatbed trailer and the 2017 Freightliner came to rest partially through the guardrail. The impact pushed the Red International into the intermodal trailer.”
Story Posted:12/06/2017
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