HAWAII POLICE DEPARTMENT
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT UNIT
SERGEANT CHRISTOPHER D. GALI
PHONE: 961-2332
AUGUST 20, 2006
REPORT NO. C06026029

MEDIA RELEASE

A 26-year-old Kamuela man died Sunday (August 20, 2006) from injuries he sustained in a motor vehicle crash on Akoni Pule Highway near the 24-mile marker in North Kohala.

Responding to a 4:14 a.m. call, North Kohala patrol officers determined that the man was operating a 1997 Dodge pickup truck and was traveling east on Akoni Pule Highway when he crossed the centerline, went over an embankment and dropped about 50 feet into a gulch.

The victim was taken to North Kohala Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:10 a.m.

It is unknown at this time whether speed or alcohol were factors or whether he was wearing a seat belt.

The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and positive identification.

Traffic Enforcement Unit officers have initiated a coroner’s inquest case and have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

This is the 25th traffic fatality on the Big Island this year compared with 22 at this time last year.