A 77-year-old Hilo man is fighting for his life after the pickup truck he was driving crossed the centerline on a steep stretch of Ponahawai Street and slammed into an oncoming car Friday night, leaving him unresponsive at the scene. The 59-year-old woman driving the other vehicle was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators say speed and impairment do not appear to be factors.
Trucks Collide on Uphill Climb
According to Big Island Now, police responded shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday to Ponahawai Street between Komohana and Kapiʻolani streets, where a 2016 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck traveling uphill crossed into the oncoming lane and struck a 2013 Toyota Corolla heading downhill. A more precise timestamp from the official police report places the response at 8:37 p.m., according to the Hawaiʻi Police Department, which confirmed the truck was traveling mauka, or uphill, when it crossed into the makai, or downhill, lane. The pickup's driver, a 77-year-old man, was found unresponsive and rushed to Hilo Benioff Medical Center in critical condition. The sedan's driver, a 59-year-old woman, was also taken to the hospital but was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The hospital receiving both drivers carries its own recent history. Hilo Benioff Medical Center took its current name in March 2024 after philanthropists Marc and Lynne Benioff donated $50 million, matched by another $50 million in state funding, to build out critical areas of care, per Hawaiʻi Public Radio. Both drivers from Friday's wreck were transported to the facility.
Speed, Drugs Not Suspected as Factors
Police said speed, alcohol, and drugs do not appear to be factors in the crash, the report notes. Hawaiʻi County has recorded 26 traffic fatalities in 2026 as of early October, up from 17 over the same period last year, a 53 percent jump, as Hoodline reported in its coverage of the 26th road death of the year. Statewide, Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation data through early 2026 shows speed contributed to nearly half of all traffic deaths, according to Big Island Now.
Under Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes § 291C-41, drivers are required to keep to the right half of the roadway except when overtaking, navigating around an obstruction, using a designated one-way lane, or driving on a roadway divided into three marked traffic lanes, according to the Hawaiʻi State Legislature. Both drivers in Friday's crash were transported directly to the hospital.
Crash Location and Earlier Incident
The crash occurred on Ponahawai Street between Kapiʻolani and Komohana streets. The corridor has seen serious crashes before: in June 2025, a critical pedestrian collision at the nearby intersection of Ponahawai and Kinoʻole streets prompted an HPD negligent injury investigation, Hoodline previously reported on the Ponahawai pedestrian crash.
Traffic Unit Assists Collision Investigation
The Hawaiʻi Police Department's East Hawaiʻi Traffic Enforcement Unit responded to the scene and is assisting with the investigation. The cause of the pickup's lane crossing remains under investigation.
Police are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact Officer Brian Kohara at 808-935-3311 or [email protected]. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300.
