Kea’au, HI – In a tragic incident on Sunday morning, Hawai‘i Island police are investigating a fatal traffic collision that led to the death of a motorcyclist on Highway 11, just below the Kamehameha Schools campus in Kea’au.
At approximately 10:32 a.m., police responded to reports of a collision involving multiple motorcycles and a motor vehicle. According to preliminary investigations, three motorcycles were traveling northbound on Highway 11 when a 2007 Dodge Caliber, driven by a 34-year-old woman from Mountain View, attempted a left turn from Old Volcano Road onto the highway. The lead motorcycle, a Yamaha operated by a 32-year-old man from Puna, collided with the sedan. This impact caused the Yamaha to strike a second motorcycle, a 2006 Suzuki GSX-R600 ridden by a 38-year-old woman from Puna, resulting in her losing control and sliding off the roadway. The third motorcyclist, a 41-year-old man from Kona, managed to avoid the collision and was unharmed.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene, where the operator of the Yamaha motorcycle was found unresponsive. He was transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:45 a.m. His identity has not yet been released pending notification of next of kin. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
The operators of both the Dodge sedan and the Suzuki motorcycle were treated for injuries. The driver of the Dodge and her juvenile passenger were transported to the medical center as a precaution, while the Suzuki rider was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after being transported via private vehicle.
All three motorcyclists were reportedly wearing protective gear and helmets at the time of the accident. Initial police reports suggest that speed may have been a factor in the collision; however, alcohol and drugs are not believed to have played a role.
The East Hawaii Traffic Enforcement Unit is actively investigating the incident and has interviewed several witnesses. They are urging anyone with additional information to contact Officer Jerome Duarte at (808) 961-2339 or via email at Jerome.Duarte@hawaiicounty.gov. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
This is the 4th traffic fatality of 2025 compared to 4 this same time last year.