Authorities are delving into the details following a traffic mishap in Kea‘au on the morning of August 31. According to a report obtained by the local authorities, two vehicles collided on Kea‘au-Pahoa Road and Kaloli Drive leading to injuries and damage. A 1995 Honda sedan, during its course Pahoa bound, managed to rear-end a 2011 Kia SUV with both ending up in desolation—the Honda distressingly flipped, coming to rest on its roof.
The incident, which unfolded at 7:03 a.m., witnessed the 63-year-old female driver of the Kia SUV, a resident of Kea‘au, being taken to Hilo Benioff Medical Center. With "substantial bodily injuries" as articulated in the official release on Nixle, her condition has been described as stable. The Honda's driver, a 29-year-old male also from Kea‘au, was initially taken to the same center, his plight deteriorated, prompting an urgent medical evacuation to the Queens Medical Center, where he remains in a critical yet stable state.
Investigators are piecing together what precipitated the wreck but have signaled that excessive velocity and possible intoxication might have played critical roles. The scenario has beckoned further scrutiny by the East Hawai‘i Traffic Enforcement Unit, which is ardently proceeding with its Negligent Injury investigation. The community is urged, anyone grasping at fragments of information connected to the crash, to reach out to Officer Jerome Duarte at (808) 961-2339, or through the provided email address, as delineated in the announcement.
For those desiring to aid anonymously, Crime Stoppers remains the vestibule for such details. By dialing the island-wide number at 961-8300, tipsters can impart knowledge without forsaking their cloak of anonymity, emboldened by the possibility of a financial reward worth up to $1,000.00. The integrity of the tipsters' identity is rigorously guarded by Crime Stoppers, rejecting any form of call recording or Caller ID subscription.
