One Person Killed in Hilo Traffic Collision

A two-vehicle crash on Daniel K. Inouye Highway Tuesday morning has left one person dead.

Just after 10:13 a.m. today, South Hilo Patrol officers and members of the Hawaiʻi Police Department Traffic Enforcement Unit responded to a two-vehicle traffic crash near the intersection of Daniel K. Inouye Highway (Saddle Road) and Kaumana Drive.

Police have preliminarily determined that a 2001 Kenworth semi-truck driven by a 58-year-old male party from Hilo was traveling Kona bound on the highway approaching the Kaumana Drive Intersection.

A 2007 Honda sports utility vehicle driven by an unidentified party initiated a left-hand turn from the Hilo bound lanes of Daniel K. Inouye Highway to head onto Kaumana Drive.

The Honda SUV was struck broadside by the semi-truck. The driver of the Honda, who has yet to be positively identified, was dead at the scene and later pronounced officially at Hilo Medical Center, police said. The driver of the semi-truck was also injured and taken to Hilo Medical Center for treatment.

The Hawaiʻi Police Department Traffic Enforcement Unit has initiated a Negligent Homicide investigation in this case. Anyone with information should call Officer Clifford Antonio at 808-961-2339 or email at clifford.antonio@hawaiicounty.gov.