State highway worker injured after being struck by tractor near Leilani Estates
A state highway worker in his 30s was struck Monday by a tractor excavator on Highway 130 south of Leilani Estates in lower Puna.
The Hawaii County Fire Department responded to the 12:59 p.m. alarm and found the man lying in the roadway near mile marker 14 of the Pahoa-Kalapana highway. He was still conscious, with obvious injuries to both legs.
The worker had been standing in the roadway when the operator of a state highways tractor excavator was cutting trees.
The operator was unaware someone was on the roadway when he struck the worker, pinning his legs under the tractor tracks, according to fire officials.
He was treated and taken to the Hilo Medical Center for further evaluation.