(BIVN) – A 27-year-old Hilo man has been arrested and charged, after his alleged involvement in a vehicle crash that closed Wainaku Bridge early Tuesday morning.

A radio message from the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense reported that the Wainaku Bridge would have to remain closed until engineers were able to assess the structural integrity of the bridge. The bridge was cleared for reopening later that day.

Photo of Wainaku Bridge taken on Tuesday afternoon after the bridge reopened.

Police detailed the situation in a news release:

Responding to a report of a single-vehicle traffic collision, Hilo patrol officers arrived on scene and discovered an unoccupied 2005 Honda Pilot sports utility vehicle that had struck the concrete reinforced bridge railing and sustained heavy front-end damage. Officers conducted area checks looking for the driver to no avail.

Due to the collision, a section of the bridge railing was severed. County of Hawai‘i Department of Public Works Highway Division staff where contacted and responded to the scene. They determined that the bridge needed to be closed indefinitely until an inspection of the structural integrity of the bridge is conducted.

Later Tuesday morning, a 27-year-old Austin Dasalla-Iriarte contacted police and attempted to report that the vehicle had been stolen, however, investigating officers were able to determine that he was involved in the vehicle collision.

Police photo of Austin Dasalla-Iriarte

Dasalla-Iriarte was later charged with the following offenses:

• False reporting to law enforcement authorities
• Accidents involving damage to vehicle or property
• Driving without a valid driver’s license
• No motor vehicle insurance
• Inattention to driving

Bail for Dasalla-Iriarte was set at $5,300, police said, and he remained in custody at the East Hawai‘i Detention Center as of Tuesday evening.

Police ask anyone who may have additional information on this traffic collision to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.