(BIVN) – A man died on Friday night after he was “struck multiple times by unknown vehicles” while walking on Highway 130 in Keaʻau.
The fatal collision occurred near the intersection of Orchidland Drive. The identity of the victim is being withheld pending positive identification and notification of next of kin.
Police are now searching for the drivers of the unknown vehicles involved in the incident. From a police news release:
Responding to a report at 10:50 p.m. of a person lying in the roadway, police investigators determined that an unidentified male pedestrian was struck multiple times by unknown vehicles, with the vehicles fleeing the area in an unknown direction. Investigators believe the man may have been attempting to cross Highway 130 and was not in a marked crosswalk at the time of the collision. He was found unresponsive at the scene and was pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m.
An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death. His identity is being withheld pending positive identification and notification of next of kin.
Failure to render aid when a person is injured or killed in a traffic collision is a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $25,000 under Hawai‘i Revised Statutes Section 291C-14.
The Area I Traffic Enforcement Unit has initiated a negligent homicide investigation and asks anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact Officer Johnathan Rapoza at (808) 961-2339 or by email at Johnathan.Rapoza@hawaiipolice.gov. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
This marks the third traffic fatality within a 12-hour period on Friday. On Friday afternoon, a head-on collision the Daniel K. Inouye Highway killed two people.
The Highway 130 fatality is also the 7th traffic fatality on Hawai‘i Island in the past 10 days. It is the 12th traffic fatality on Hawai‘i Island in 2026, compared with 12 traffic fatalities at the same time last year.
Police also continue to stress that “many traffic fatalities are preventable and urge motorists to remain attentive, drive responsibly, and be mindful of pedestrians on Hawai‘i Island roadways.”
