HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT UNIT
OFFICER SAMUEL V. JELSMA
PHONE: 961-2332
FEBRUARY 22, 2002
G-98079
MEDIA RELEASE
A 50-year-old man died Wednesday (February 20, 2002) of injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident in December last year.
The victim, identified as Malcom Hulsey, of a Kailua-Kona address, was pronounced dead at 6:55 a.m. Wednesday at Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu.
Hulsey was injured on December 23, 2001. Police officers reponding to a 2:08 p.m. call on that date determined that the victim was riding his 2001 Harley Davidson motorcycle south on Kohala Mountain Road when he crossed the centerline on a right bend in the road, struck an embankment and fell over on the pavement.
The victim was taken to the North Community Hospital and later flown to Queen’s. The victim, who had been conscious after the crash, later went into a coma and remained in that condition until his death.
At the time of the crash, the victim had been riding with his wife, who was riding another motorcycle, and several friends. He had been wearing a helmet at the time. Unfamiliarity with the roadway is believed to have been a factor in the accident.
Traffic Enforcement Unit officers are continuing the investigation and have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Hulsey’s death brought the 2001 fatality count for the Big Island to 31, compared 38 for the year 2000.
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