BRIEF: 36-Year-Old Kealakekua Woman Killed in Car Crash

Speed and alcohol are possible factors in a single car crash that killed a Kealakekua woman and injured a male passenger.

The accident took place at the intersection of Hawaii Belt Road and Highway 180 in Honalo. 36-year-old Dana M. Leoneza was killed when the vehicle she was driving allegedly failed to negotiate a curve in the road, crashing into a utility pole. Leoneza and the unidentified passenger was taken to Kona Community Hospital. The 25-year-old male is currently in serious condition.

Before Leoneza passed away, police arrested her at the hospital for driving a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, negligent injury, and third degree promotion of a dangerous drug.

Leoneza’s death is the second traffic fatality on the island this year. At the same time in 2011, there were five traffic deaths on Hawai’i Island.