South Kohala fatality 10-10-06

HAWAII POLICE DEPARTMENT
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT UNIT
SERGEANT CHRISTOPHER D. GALI
PHONE: 961-2332
OCTOBER 10, 2006
C06031669

MEDIA RELEASE

A 73-year-old Hilo woman died Monday (October 9, 2006) in Honolulu from injuries she sustained in a one-car crash September 29 in South Kohala.

The victim has been identified as Helen Nakaza of Hilo.

Responding to an 11:11 p.m. call on September 29, South Kohala patrol officers determined that a 2005 Ford van was traveling east on Mamalahoa Highway (Route 19) when a large tree branch fell on the van 107 feet west of Kalake Street.

Nakaza, who was a passenger in the van, was taken to North Hawaii Community Hospital and later flown to The Queens Medical Center in Honolulu. She died at the hospital at 12:30 p.m. yesterday.

Another passenger in the van, a 53-year-old Hilo man, was not injured.

Alcohol and speed are not considered factors in the crash.

Traffic Enforcement Unit officers have initiated a standard negligent homicide investigation and have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

This is the 29th traffic fatality on the Big Island this year compared with 29 at this time last year.

# # #


This entry was posted in Media Releases. Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.
  • Keep your community safe through Crime Stoppers

    Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island-wide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers does not record calls or subscribe to any Caller ID service. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

    The Crime Stoppers TV Program is available on-demand from Nā Leo TV.