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Puna woman killed in truck accident 06-19-02

HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT UNIT
SERGEANT SAMUEL V. JELSMA
PHONE: 961-2332
JUNE 19, 2002
H-11491

MEDIA RELEASE

A 39-year-old Puna woman was killed Wednesday (June 19, 2002) when she was run over by her pickup truck as she was securing a gate to a private driveway.

The victim was identified as Julie Marie Ellison, of a Hawaiian Beaches address.

The accident occurred off Pohoiki Road about a half-mile south of Leilani Estates in the Puna District.

Responding to a 3:26 p.m. call, police officers determined that the victim had been driving a 1996 Ford pickup truck pulling a trailer and exiting a private drive onto Pohoiki Road when she stopped outside the gate and got out to secure it behind her truck. She apparently had left the vehicle running with the transmission in park, but failed to set the brake. As she began to close the gate, the truck and trailer rolled backward over her. A next-door neighbor heard a crash and ran over to find the vehicle, still running in the parking gear, on top of the victim.

The victim was taken to the Hilo Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 6:37 p.m.

Traffic Enforcement Unit officers are continuing an investigation and have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. A mechanical inspection will also be made on the victim’s truck.

Because the accident occurred off a public roadway, it will not be counted in the annual count of traffic fatalities, which stands at 14 so far this year.

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