Update: 17-year-old killed in Waikōloa car vs. semi collision identified

Update at 4:05 p.m. Oct. 17: Hawai‘i Island police identified the teen driver killed Thursday morning in a 2-vehicle crash in Waikōloa as 17-year-old Jessica Ann Sprinkle of Waikōloa.

Original post at 2:38 p.m. Oct. 17: A 17-year-old girl is dead and three other teen girls seriously injured after a 2-vehicle crash Thursday morning in Waikōloa between a sedan and semi.

Hawai‘i Police Department investigators responded at about 8 a.m. Thursday to a crash at the intersection of Māmalahoa Highway (Highway 190) and Waikōloa Road (Highway 191).

Investigators determined a silver 2022 Chevrolet Spark sedan was turning left onto Māmalahoa Highway from Waikōloa Road when it was broadsided by a white 2018 Peterbilt semi tractor-trailer transporting 5,000 gallons of water that was heading south on Waikōloa Road.

The 17-year-old girl driving the Spark was transported to Kona Community Hospital. She was pronounced dead at 11:51 a.m.

She has not been positively identified.

Three teen passengers in the Spark were seriously injured. The girls were transported to Queen’s North Hawai‘i Community Hospital in Waimea for initial treatment.

Two of the passengers were later transported to O‘ahu for further care. The other remains at Queen’s North Hawai‘i Community Hospital.

The 59-year-old man who was driving the semi tractor-trailer was not injured.

The Hawai‘i Police Department Area II Traffic Enforcement Unit initiated a major traffic collision investigation.

Anyone who might have witnessed the crash is asked to to contact Officer Dayson Taniguchi at 808-326-4646, extension 229, or dayson.taniguchi@hawaiicounty.gov.

This is the 24th traffic fatality this year on Big Island roadways compared with 15 by this time last year. That’s a 60% increase.