Hawaiʻi Police Department
Traffic Enforcement Unit Area II
Sergeant Marvin Troutman Sr.
Phone: 326-4646, Ext. 229
Report No. C13030800
Media Release
A 41-year-old man died Friday afternoon (November 15), in a single tractor/tanker crash in South Kohala. He was identified as Amos K. Agliam of Hilo.
Around 2:04 p.m., a 2003 Kenworth tractor pulling a tanker trailer, which was loaded with 8,402 gallons of No. 2 diesel fuel, was traveling west down a steep grade on Highway 19 (Kawaihae Road) near the 64-mile marker when it pulled onto the right paved shoulder, continued onto the unpaved shoulder and collided with a large mound of dirt and debris. (It was reported that the vehicle’s brakes were smoking.) The trailer broke loose, crushing the cab and rolling onto its right side.
The tanker was punctured, spilling between 1,500 and 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel.
Agliam died at the scene. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death. Alcohol and speed are not considered factors in this collision.
Kawaihae Road was closed to all traffic at 2: 26 p.m. It reopened at 8:42 p.m.
Police ask that anyone who witnessed the collision call Officer Thomas Koyanagi at 326-4646, extension 229.
This is the 24th fatality this year compared with 36 at this time last year.