HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT UNIT
LEROY D. VICTORINO
PHONE: 961-2332
FEBRUARY 5, 2004
MEDIA RELEASE
A 25-year-old Hamakua man was killed in a one-vehicle collision early Thursday (February 5, 2004) when his pickup truck ran off the road and into a gulch on Mamalahoa Highway (Route 19) near Ahualoa.
The victim was identified as Andrew Camacho, of a Paauilo address.
Responding to a 12:20 a.m. call, Hamakua patrol officers determined that Camacho was driving a 2003 Ford pickup truck east when it ran off the right side of the highway, then swerved back across the highway and off the left side of the road and ran through a guard rail and into the gulch. The crash occurred about seven-tenths of a mile west of the 45-mile marker.
Fire rescue personnel extracted the victim from his vehicle, and the victim was transported to the Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 4:15 a.m.
Speed was believed to have been a factor in the crash.
Traffic Enforcement Unit officers continuing an investigation into the crash have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Camacho’s death was the second traffic fatality on the Big Island so far this year, compared to two at the same time last year.
# # #
