Hawaii County police ID man killed by reversing pickup
Hawaii County police identified the Kealakekua man who died Sunday from injuries sustained after he was struck by a pickup truck as Robert J. Flores, 69.
Flores was guiding the driver of the 1996 Mazda pickup as he reversed toward a Captain Cook house, which he and the driver were repairing.
Police said the driver, a 75-year-old Captain Cook man, was about 5 feet from the house, when Flores motioned for him to stop.
Instead, the driver apparently hit the accelerator and struck Flores, pinning him between the truck and the house, police said.
Flores was taken by fire rescue personnel to the Kona Community Hospital, where he died at 5:50 p.m.
Police have intiated a negligent homicide investigation and ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
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The death was not counted toward the official traffic fatality count because it occurred on private property.