Ralph Hibbert, a 65-year-old dump truck driver from Georgia, died Tuesday, (6/18/25), after losing control of his vehicle on a steep stretch of Interstate 40 leading into Old Fort. No one else was hurt in the crash.
Emergency crews responded around 10:12 a.m. to the 500 block of Bat Cave Road. Witnesses said Hibbert was trying to slow down by pumping his brakes but was unable to stop. According to Old Fort police, the truck’s brakes failed, and Hibbert was traveling at an estimated 75 to 80 mph before taking Exit 73 off the highway.
He passed several emergency truck ramps before crashing into a building under construction near the bottom of the exit ramp. The impact sent the truck airborne for roughly 85 feet.
Authorities said Hibbert was hauling ballast gravel used for railroad maintenance. He was not a Norfolk Southern employee but was transporting material for the company.
Residents in the area say brake failures on the downhill section of I-40 are common and see the crash as a reminder of how dangerous the descent can be for heavy trucks.
