A truck driver – who died in a road accident while working in the region to haul supplies related to Hurricane Helene recovery – is the latest victim to be added to North Carolina’s list of those killed as a result of the natural disaster.
Over the last four months, the official death toll related to Helene in North Carolina has increased as authorities have identified two additional victims, including Ralph Livingston Hibbert, the truck driver who died in Old Fort on June 17.
This brings the total number of deaths confirmed by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to 108.
Hibbert, police have said, was killed in a crash in McDowell County while hauling gravel for a railroad construction project.
The wreck, town of Old Fort leaders said in a news release last month, is believed to have been caused by the brakes on his vehicle failing.
“Ralph wasn’t just passing through — he has been here helping us recover and rebuild after the recent storms. He became a part of our town in the most meaningful way: through service, generosity, and heart,” the Town of Old Fort shared in a statement.
The statement said Hibbert had been a truck driver for over 30 years.
Blue Ridge Public Radio requested from state leaders public records related to Hibbert’s death, but has yet to receive the documents.
Updated Hurricane Helene death toll
Earlier, in April, the death toll was updated to include Russell Dale Wilber, who had been missing since flooding and landslides devastated the campground in Avery County where he and his wife were when Helene struck in late September. His wife, Charlene Wilber, was found dead on Oct. 23, 2024.
The couple, residents of Telford, Tenn., had been camping at Buck Hill Campground near Newland.
Previously, the state medical examiner's office determined Charlene Wilber’s cause of death was injuries sustained during the flooding and a landslide.
The couple’s dog, Maggie, was also lost in the floods, according to reports.
The Asheville Citizen Times spoke to Ranee LaPointe, Russell Wilber’s daughter, just before he was found.
“It feels like you’re screaming into a void that’s swallowed up by nothing, like who are you screaming to and what are you screaming about? You don’t know where they are, and you don’t know if they’re ever going to be found. It doesn’t put the period at the end of the sentence – It’s just not finished,” LaPointe said.
Russell Wilber’s body was found on March 28, 2025, about 12 miles away from the campground by a construction crew. State records obtained by Blue Ridge Public radio indicate he was identified in April, and his autopsy determined he was killed by a landslide injury.
Gov. Josh Stein previously wrote about the Wilbers' deaths in April:
“Their passing is heartbreaking. Anna and I send our condolences to their family and friends. May their memory be a blessing,” Stein said in a statement on Facebook.
It is unknown exactly how many people remain unaccounted for or missing, but the number is thought to be less than 20, based on reporting by The Assembly and WFMY News.
There are victims not included in the state’s official count if they lived in North Carolina but their body was recovered in another state. This appears to be the case for some Western North Carolina residents who were killed but were found in Tennessee during search efforts.
To see a list of all the names of those killed in the disaster in North Carolina, go here.
