Police are asking the public for information after a Kailua-Kona woman died following a hit-and-run collision on Sunday, July 24, 2022, on Kuakini Highway, (Highway 11), 150 yards south of the 119 mile marker in North Kona.
The woman has not been positively identified.
Responding to a 4:21 a.m. call, police determined that a unknown vehicle was heading north on Kuakini Highway when it struck the woman, who was in the northbound lane of highway. The driver of the vehicle then fled the scene and failed to render aid to the pedestrian.
The female pedestrian was wearing dark clothing and not in a marked crosswalk. This area of the highway is not lit. The female pedestrian was transported to the Kona Community Hospital where she was later pronounced dead at 8:30 a.m. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
Police at the scene determined that there were possibly two vehicles that were involved in the collision. Police located debris from a 2017-2020 KIA Niro and a 2013-2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Also there were reports that the collision might have been captured on home video surveillance.
Police are asking the public to review their home or business surveillance videos for any vehicle matching the above description between the hours of 3:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. The vehicles would have sustained damage to the driver’s side front fender and bumper.
Failure to render aid when a person is killed in a traffic collision is a Class “B” felony that may be punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $25,000. Failure to render aid is covered under section 291C-14 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.
The Area II Traffic Enforcement Unit has initiated a negligent homicide investigation and is asking for anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact Officer Len Hamakado at (808) 326-4646 Ext. 229 or email at len.hamakado@hawaiicounty.gov.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
This is the 24th traffic fatality this year compared to 13 at this time last year.
