December 2024 traffic crash leads to elderly Waimea man’s death

Hawai‘i Island police are investigating a chain of events stemming from a traffic crash in December 2024 that led to the death of an 84-year-ld Waimea man.

The man was identified as Colin Perry.

Hāmākua Patrol officers responded at 12:42 p.m. Dec. 15, 2024, to a vehicle collision along a gravel road north of the intersection of Māmane Street and Māmalahoa Highway (Highway 19) following a report that Perry was driving his 2016 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck when the truck’s front left corner struck the rear of a parked and unattended 2005 Honda Pilot.

Officers learned that Perry exited his truck, which ended up rolling backward, pinning him between the driver’s side of his vehicle and rear of the Honda Pilot. He was able to free himself, and bystanders were able to prevent the truck from moving any farther.

Hawai‘i Fire Department medical personnel transported Perry to Queen’s North Hawai‘i Community Hospital in Waimea, where he was stabilized, but in critical condition with internal injuries.

Perry was later flown to The Queen’s Medical Center on O‘ahu for further treatment. Police confirmed Jan. 7 that Perry died at 2:18 p.m. Dec. 20, 2024, on O‘ahu.

The Hawai‘i Police Department Area I Traffic Enforcement Unit is continuing to investigate.

Anyone who might have witnessed the collision is asked to contact Officer Jerome Duarte at 808-961-2339 or via email at Jerome.Duarte@hawaiicounty.gov.

There were a total of 26 fatal crashes resulting in 29 fatalities on Hawai‘i Island as of Dec. 31, 2024. Because this incident happened on private property, it is considered a non-traffic fatality.

When including this incident in fatality numbers for last year, there were two non-traffic fatalities, or those not on a public roadway, in 2024 compared with one in 2023.