Police identify pedestrian who died following Honokaʻa collision last Sunday

Hawaiʻi Island police have identified the male pedestrian who died following a Honokaʻa traffic collision Sunday, Oct. 19, as 48-year-old Ivan Primo of Waimea.

At 7:33 p.m. on Sunday, police officers responded to a report of a traffic hazard in which a person wearing dark-colored clothing was seen walking along the roadway near the 47-mile marker on Highway 19 heading toward Honokaʻa.

As officers were en route, they observed a vehicle traveling south on Highway 19 swerve into their lane. The vehicle struck Primo, who was on the roadway. The vehicle had sustained damage to the front end of the passenger side.

Officers then observed a man wearing dark clothing lying on the road and immediately began lifesaving measures until Hawaiʻi Fire Department personnel arrived and continued administering CPR. Primo was pronounced deceased at 7:51 p.m.

Primo was not in a marked crosswalk, and an autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.

The driver of the 2018 Toyota 4Runner multipurpose vehicle, a 53-year-old Honokaʻa woman, was not injured as a result of the collision.

The Area I Traffic Enforcement Unit responded to the scene and is continuing the investigation. At this time, police do not believe that speed, alcohol, or drugs were factors in the collision.

Anyone who may have information regarding this collision is asked to contact Officer Laurence Davis at 808-961-2339 or via email at Laurence.Davis@hawaiipolice.gov. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300.

This is the 18th traffic fatality of 2025 compared to 24 traffic fatalities at this same time last year.