A routine roadside tire change on Kawaihae Road turned deadly Sunday when a passing car veered onto the shoulder and sent a parked sedan crashing down onto a Waimea man, killing him and injuring two others, police said.
The victim was identified as 59-year-old Waimea resident Sione Tilini. According to Hawaiʻi Island police, Tilini was working on a disabled Toyota Camry on the south shoulder of Kawaihae Road in South Kohala when a BMW came off the roadway near mile marker 65 and struck the parked car. Two other people at the scene suffered minor injuries. The BMW driver was hospitalized in critical condition, then arrested as the investigation got underway.
What Happened
South Kohala patrol officers were called out at about 1:22 p.m. Sunday for a collision on Kawaihae Road near mile marker 65. Investigators say a black 2008 BMW 328i veered onto the shoulder and hit a parked gold 2004 Toyota Camry where three people were changing the front passenger-side tire, according to a news release from the Hawaiʻi Police Department reported by Big Island Now.
Tilini was believed to have been positioned between, and partially underneath, the passenger-side wheels when the Toyota fell onto him. He was taken to Queen’s North Hawaiʻi Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:47 p.m.
The two others helping with the tire, a 19-year-old man and an 11-year-old boy, suffered minor injuries and were treated and released, police said.
Driver Arrested, Investigation Underway
The BMW’s sole occupant, described by police as a 22-year-old Waimea man, was also transported to Queen’s North Hawaiʻi Community Hospital and remains in critical condition, according to the department.
Police say he was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent injury, driving without a license, having no motor vehicle insurance and operating a vehicle under the influence. The Hawaiʻi Police Department’s Area II Traffic Enforcement Unit has opened a negligent homicide investigation, the department said in its release, which follows the usual traffic-fatality format on the agency’s media page.
Investigators have not publicly released additional details about what may have contributed to the crash, and the inquiry is ongoing.
Rising Toll on Big Island Roads
Police say Tilini’s death was the fourth traffic fatality on Big Island roads in five days and the ninth on Hawaiʻi Island so far this year, compared with 12 at the same time last year, information reported by Big Island Now.
State transportation data suggest the tragedy fits into a broader pattern. The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation’s Safe Communities portal tracks preliminary, year-to-date traffic fatality counts and highlights speed, impairment and inattention as among the leading contributing factors statewide. HIDOT’s Safe Communities page offers county-by-county breakdowns and month-by-month trends for people who want to dive into the numbers.
How to Help
Police are asking anyone who saw the collision or who has information that could help the case to contact Officer Dayson Taniguchi at [email protected] or 808-326-4646, ext. 229, according to the department’s news release. People who prefer to stay anonymous can share tips through Crime Stoppers, using the usual contact options listed in the Hawaiʻi Police Department’s media-release archive for Area II investigations.
Legal Notes
The arrest details provided by police are allegations. An arrest is not a conviction, and any criminal charges would be reviewed and filed by the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for Hawaiʻi County, which handles felony charging decisions for Big Island cases.
Prosecutors review police reports and supporting evidence before deciding whether to bring formal charges, and deputy prosecutors are available to consult with officers on charging decisions around the clock, the county’s prosecution office explains.
