INDIANAPOLIS — Marc Kellams, a former Monroe County judge, was killed in a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 465 on the east side of Indianapolis Friday.
Kellams, 73, of Bargersville, was a circuit court judge who, according to the Johnson County Prosecutor's Office, spent his career in Bloomington and also did some senior judge work in Johnson County. He recently moved to Bargersville to be closer to his family.
State police said he died in a four-vehicle crash around 4:15 p.m. on southbound I-465 near 30th Street north of I-70. Two occupants of an Acura SUV were trapped in the heavily damaged vehicle and had to be extricated.
Despite lifesaving efforts, Kellams died at the scene. A female passenger in his vehicle was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Her condition has stabilized, according to police.
A passenger in a box truck involved in the crash was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators believe the driver of a box truck failed to slow down for stopped traffic near the 43-mile marker and struck Kellams' SUV from behind. That started a chain-reaction crash that involved a total of four vehicles.
Neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected to be a factor in the crash. The driver of the truck was tested for impairment, per protocol. Three lanes of the interstate were closed for four hours while police investigated the crash, according to State Police.
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners tweeted about Kellams' death and said that, "in honor and respect for our friend and colleague," the Monroe County Government will have its flags at half mast."