Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant David Gibbs was killed in a vehicle collision when his patrol car crossed the center line and struck an oncoming vehicle during a period of rain around 7:30 a.m. The wreck occurred on westbound Highway 210, near Buffalo.
Sergeant Gibbs was en route to provide a funeral escort for his grandmother's funeral when the crash occurred. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Kentucky State Police accident reconstruction investigators later determined that an unknown slippery substance was being emitted from the highway in Sgt. Gibbs travel lane. The substance caused him to lose control of his police vehicle. In previous hours, similar accidents had occurred in the same location.
Sergeant Gibbs was a U.S. Army Reserve veteran and served with the Kentucky State Police for 18 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his son, his mother, and his father, who also served with the Kentucky State Police.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-EFDC81EE- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Sergeant Gibbs gave the Kentucky State Police 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Kentucky. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
David Ray Gibbs served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sergeant David Ray Gibbs is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In KY, 161 of 983 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.4% of this state's fallen. That is 14.6 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At KY State Police, 16 of 29 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 55.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Ray Gibbs's cause is highlighted.
How David Ray Gibbs Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David Ray Gibbs is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
28 officers from KY State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
