By local sources
A 6-month-old Japanese boy died Thursday night following a one-car crash near Pahala that left six others injured.
The victim was identified as Yuta Suzuki of Shiyonawate, Japan, according to the Hawaii Police Department. He was not in a car seat at the time of the 5:10 p.m. crash.
According to police, the boy’s father, a 36-year-old man from Japan, was operating a 2011 Dodge van and traveling south on Mamalahoa Highway when he ran off the right side of the road and overturned near mile marker 47.
The driver and two passengers, a 37-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman, were taken to the Ka’u Hospital for treatment, according to police. The two men were subsequently released while the woman was flown to Hilo Medical Center for further evaluation.
Suzuki, his 28-year-old mother, and two passengers, a 30-year-old woman and another woman whose age was not available, were transported via helicopter to Hilo Medical Center. Suzuki was pronounced dead at 7:55 p.m., according to police.
The mother was treated for her injuries and released. The other three women remain hospitalized in serious condition, according to Traffic Enforcement Unit Sgt. Christopher Gali.
Police have initiated a negligent homicide investigation and have ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
This is the third traffic fatality on the Big Island this year compared with five at this time last year.
By local sources