3 killed in 2 separate weekend crashes on Hawaii island
It was a deadly weekend on Hawaii island roads with two separate vehicle crashes killing three people.
The first crash, a two- vehicle wreck, killed a man and a woman early Saturday morning near the 24-mile marker of Highway 11 in Volcano.
Officers responding to a 1:14 a.m. report of a traffic crash determined that a blue 2019 Jeep Renegade was Kau-bound on Highway 11 when it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a Hilo-bound white 1996 Toyota Camry driven by a 54-year-old Volcano man.
The driver of the Camry and his 48-year-old female passenger, also from Volcano, were unresponsive at the scene. They were taken by ambulance to Hilo Benioff Medical Center where they were pronounced dead at 6:38 a.m.
Autopsies have been ordered to determine the exact causes of their deaths.
The Jeep’s driver, a 39-year-old Kona woman, was taken to Hilo Benioff Medical Center and later medivaced in stable condition to The Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu.
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The identities of both deceased victims are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Police said Monday that they think inattention and drugs may be factors in this crash.
Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to please contact officer Laurence Davis at 808-961-2339 or Laurence.Davis@hawaiicounty.gov.
These are the 26th and 27th traffic fatalities of 2024, compared with 15 traffic fatalities this same time in 2023.
In the second crash a 79-year-old Keaau man died following a single-vehicle collision late Sunday morning in the driveway to a residence in the 15-2700 block of Maiko Street in Pahoa.
The deceased has been identified as George D. Coit.
Officers responding to an 11:55 a.m. call determined that a 50-year-old Keaau man was driving a white 2008 Ford Econoline van and struck Coit in the driveway.
Coit was taken by ambulance to Hilo Benioff Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 3:40 p.m.
The van’s driver wasn’t injured.
Police said Monday that they don’t think alcohol or drugs are factors in the collision.
Police have initiated a negligent homicide investigation. Anyone with information about this collision may contact officer Johnathan Rapoza at 808-961-2339 or Johnathan.Rapoza@hawaiicounty.gov.
Because the collision didn’t occur on a public roadway, Coit’s death doesn’t count as a traffic fatality for official statistical purposes.
