Iredell County, North Carolina — August 7, 2026 — According to WSOC TV, a 45-year-old Hickory man was killed when another driver crashed into his disabled pickup truck along Interstate 40.

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the collision occurred near the Cool Springs Road bridge. Ernest Duncan Ames IV was inside a 2002 Ram 1500 that had run out of gas and was stopped in the emergency lane.

Driving Crash on I-40

Family members said Ames, a father of four, had been driving his son and his son’s girlfriend home from Raleigh when the pickup became disabled.

Troopers said a 2021 Ram 3500 driven by 28-year-old Kevin Guadalupe-Quintana of Mount Airy struck the parked truck. Investigators reported that Guadalupe-Quintana appeared to have been speeding and was allegedly impaired by alcohol at the time of the collision.

Ames was in the rear cab of the pickup when it was hit. The force of the crash ejected him from the vehicle, and he died from his injuries at the scene.

The two passengers were also injured. Ames’ son was recovering at home following the crash, while his son’s girlfriend remained hospitalized.

Family members described Ames, a construction worker, as a dependable man devoted to his wife and children.

State troopers arrested Guadalupe-Quintana at the scene. He was charged with felony death by motor vehicle, reckless driving, and failure to maintain lane control. He was later taken to the Iredell County Magistrate’s Office, where he received a $750,000 secured bond before being booked into the Iredell County Detention Center.

At Dewey, Ramsay & Hunt, our experienced Charlotte personal injury attorneys are committed to helping crash victims and their families navigate the legal process.

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Notes: Our team created this post using secondary sources and has not independently verified all the facts surrounding the accident. If you find any incorrect details, please contact Dewey, Ramsay & Hunt so we can update the post with the most accurate information. We will remove this post if requested.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is not intended to be legal or medical advice and is not a solicitation for business. The photograph used in this post is not representative of this accident. If you are injured in an accident, seek medical attention immediately, then speak to a North Carolina personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.