HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT UNIT
SERGEANT SAMUEL V. JELSMA
PHONE: 961-2332
AUGUST 17, 1999
G-03477
MEDIA RELEASE
A 56-year-old Puna man died Tuesday afternoon (August 17, 1999) after his motorcycle collided with a van on Kanoelehua Avenue at the intersection of East Kahaopea Street in Hilo.
The victim was identified as Earl Perreira of the Ainaloa subdivision in Puna.
Responding to a 12:13 p.m. accident call, police officers determined that the victim was riding his 1995 Harley Davidson north on Kanoelehua when a 1995 Plymouth van traveling south tried to make a left turn onto East Kahaopea in front of him.
Perreira’s motorcycle collided with the van. The victim was taken to the Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:11 p.m. Perreira wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
The driver of the van, Bert Nishimoto, 62, of Naalehu, Ka’u, was not injured in the accident.
Traffic Enforcement Unit officers have initiated a standard negligent homicide investigation to determine if speed or alcohol was a factor in the accident. They have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Tuesday’s fatality was the 17th traffic fatality of the year so far, compared to 25 at the same time last year.
# # #