Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Ricky Bill Stovall was killed when his patrol car was washed off of a roadway in a terrible storm attributed to the El Niño phenomenon. Officer Stovall and his partner, Officer Britt Irvine, were responding to a call to assist stranded motorists on Highway 166 when the storm washed out the section of roadway they were on. Both officers were killed and several other motorists were washed into the water as well. Their patrol car was found upside down under silt, mud, and debris approximately 100 yards from the roadway. Officer Stovall had served with the California Highway Patrol for 18 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-1548A8A1- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Stovall gave the California Highway Patrol 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of California. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Stovall.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Ricky Bill Stovall 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 CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At California Highway Patrol, 151 of 233 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 64.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ricky Bill Stovall's cause is highlighted.
How Ricky Bill Stovall Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ricky Bill Stovall is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
232 officers from California Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
