75-year-old Kailua-Kona man critically injured in early morning North Kona crash

A 75-year-old Kailua-Kona man is in critical condition after sustaining life-threatening injuries in an early morning single-vehicle crash April 25 in North Kona.

Hawai‘i Police Department officers responded to the crash shortly before 1:30 a.m. Friday.

Upon arriving at the scene, police determined a gray 2009 Nissan Frontier pickup truck was traveling north when the crash happened near the 17-mile marker on Old Māmalahoa Highway north of Pu‘uanahulu.

The pickup crossed over the double yellow lines in the center of the highway, ran off the road, then re-entered the highway, struck a rock embankment and overturned.

The driver was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

He was transported to Queen’s North Hawai‘i Community Hospital in Waimea for immediate medical treatment and subsequently taken to The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, where he remains in critical condition.

Old Māmalahoa Highway between Pu‘u Lani Drive and Daniel K. Inouye Highway was closed and traffic detoured for several hours following the crash.

Hawai‘i Police Department’s Area II Traffic Enforcement Unit continues to investigate the crash as a major traffic collision. No further details are available at this time.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Officer Dayson Taniguchi at 808-326-4646, ext. 229, or via email at dayson.taniguchi@hawaiicounty.gov.

Those who prefer to remain anonymous can call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number at 808-961-8300.