Hilo Man Dies in Single Vehicle Waikoloa Crash

A man died Thursday afternoon in a single vehicle crash along Waikoloa Road, east of the two-mile marker in Waikoloa.

The Hawai’i Police Department says the 49-year-old man has been identified as Robert J. Cooley of Hilo.

Police responded to a 2:40 p.m. call, where South Kohala patrol officers determined that Cooley was traveling east on Waikoloa Road operating a 2004 Nissan Altima four-door sedan when he ran off the right side of the road and into a small rock embankment.

Cooley was taken to North Hawai’i Community Hospital by rescue personnel. He was pronounced dead at 3:45 p.m.

According to HPD, Cooley may have suffered from a medical condition prior to the crash.

A coroner’s inquest case has been opened by Traffic Enforcement Unit officers and an autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.

HPD says it will wait for the autopsy result before counting Cooley’s death toward the official traffic fatality count.

Anyone with information about the crash should call Officer Christopher Kapua-Allison at 326-4646, extension 229.