Two people have been confirmed dead following a head-on collision in a volcano, as reported by Big Island Now. The victims, identified as 48-year-old Joanna Graves and 54-year-old David Makizuru, both of Volcano, were sadly found unresponsive at the scene and later proclaimed deceased.
The crash occurred around 1 a.m. last Saturday near the 24-mile marker on Highway 11, a Jeep Renegade, driven by a 39-year-old Kona woman, strayed across the centerline and crashed into Makizuru's Toyota Camry, which also held Graves as a front-seat passenger. Police have said that they intend to press charges, but it's unknown if drugs were a contributing factor; the investigation is ongoing. Island News reports that this brings 2024's traffic-related fatalities on Hawai‘i Island to 27, a significant increase from the 15 fatalities by this time last year.
According to Hoodline, authorities believe that inattention and possible drug use by the Jeep's driver may have been contributing factors to the accident; these suspicions remain to be confirmed pending the results of the ongoing investigation and forthcoming autopsies meant to determine the precise causes of death for Graves and Makizuru.
The Jeep's driver was taken to Hilo Benioff Medical Center and later transferred to Queens Hospital on Oahu in stable condition. She now faces two negligent homicide investigations by the Hawai‘i Police Department. Officer Laurence Davis is asking anyone with information to contact him to assist with the investigation.
