A Hilo man is dead after a two-vehicle crash this morning on Highway 11 near the Glenwood Transfer Station.
Hawai‘i Police identified the victim as 34-year-old Johnathan Hara.
Police initially responded to the crash at 6:44 a.m. Throughout their investigation, authorities determined that an individual traveling south, later identified as Hara, attempted to pass a motor vehicle heading the same direction.
As a result, police say, the driver collided head-on with a 60-year-old Pahala man, who was traveling north in a 2011Toyota Tacoma pickup with two passengers.
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“The operator and lone occupant of the Honda was unresponsive at the scene and was transported to the Hilo Medical Center,” police reported in a press release Saturday afternoon.
Hara was pronounced dead at the hospital at 7:52 a.m.
The Pahala man and his two passengers were also taken to Hilo Medical Center. According to the release, the driver was treated and released with minor injuries. The passengers, two women ages 59 and 25, remain in the hospital and are listed in stable condition.
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An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of Hara’s death.
The Traffic Enforcement Unit has initiated a Coroner’s Inquest investigation and is asking for anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact Officer Blayne Matsui of the Area I Traffic Enforcement Unit at 808-961-2339. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 808-961-2339 in Hilo.
This is the 11th traffic fatality this year compared to 13 at this time last year.
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