Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green helps trapped driver in Waikōloa rollover crash

When you’re a doctor, helping a patient doesn’t always happen in an emergency room or even a hospital. Sometimes, especially in emergency situation, it’s done in the field.

Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green, a former longtime physician on the Big Island, was on his way to a dedication ceremony Thursday morning in Waikōloa for the new Waikōloa Solar + Storage Facility near Waikōloa Road when he witnessed a single-vehicle rollover crash. He and his security detail immediately pulled over to help the SUV’s driver, who was trapped inside.

The crash happened at about 9:30 a.m. at the 1-mile marker on Waikōloa Road, near the Waikōloa water tanks, according to a public post on the Hawai‘i Island Radio Scanner Community group Facebook page. Hawai‘i Fire Department crews from the Waikōloa Fire Station and officers with the Hawai‘i Police Department South Kohala Patrol and Traffic Enforcement Unit responded. The SUV had veered off the south shoulder of the road and rolled over onto its top.

Green told KITV4 that it looked like the SUV flew 50 to 60 feet before it crashed. Several other bystanders also offered assistance while waiting for first responders.

After emergency crews arrived, Fire Department personnel were able to extricate the man from the vehicle, the Facebook group’s post says. He was evaluated at the scene by Fire Department medics and later transported to North Hawai’i Community Hospital in Waimea in serious but stable condition.

Green helped the driver to the ambulance before he and his motorcade continued their way to the dedication ceremony.

“The family has let us know he’s doing fine!” Green said in a post Thursday afternoon on his official Facebook page. “Please wear a seatbelt, it saves lives.”

Big Island police continue to investigate the crash. The man’s identity has not been released, according to the Hawai‘i Island Radio Scanner Community post.