HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT UNIT
SERGEANT SAMUEL V. JELSMA
PHONE: 961-2332
AUGUST 15, 2000
G-38490
MEDIA RELEASE
A 45-year-old Kona man died Tuesday afternoon (August 15, 2000) at Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu from injuries he sustained in a one-car traffic crash that occurred on Monday August 7, 2000, in Ka’u.
The victim was identified as John Bone, of a Kailua-Kona address.
Police determined that Bone was driving a 1988 Toyota sedan heading north on the Hawaii Belt Road (Route 11) near the 56-mile marker about 7 p.m., when the car ran off the right shoulder of the road and collided with a utility pole.
Bone was transported to the Hilo Medical Center and later flown to Queen’s where he was pronounced dead at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday.
Traffic Enforcement Unit officers are continuing the investigation into the crash and have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Drugs are believed to be a factor in the crash.
Bone’s death was the 25th traffic fatality so far this year, compared to 16 at the same time last year,
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