A 31-year-old Honokaa man is dead and Mamalahoa Highway, north of Kailua-Kona, was closed for several hours after a motorcycle collided with a vehicle Wednesday in South Kohala.
A 31-year-old Honokaa man is dead and Mamalahoa Highway, north of Kailua-Kona, was closed for several hours after a motorcycle collided with a vehicle Wednesday in South Kohala.
The man was operating a northbound Kawasaki motorcycle when he apparently attempted to pass a vehicle but clipped its rear driver’s side, causing him to lose control just south of the highway’s junction with Waikoloa Road, said Hawaii Police Department Traffic Enforcement Unit Sgt. Christopher Gali. The man was not wearing a helmet at the time of the 11:30 a.m. crash.
Police are withholding the man’s name pending notification of next of kin, Gali said.
The occupants of the other vehicle reported no injuries, he said.
Mamalahoa Highway, between Kaiminani Drive in Kona and Waimea was closed because of the crash, according to police. The highway reopened about 2 p.m.
Police are investigating the crash as a negligent homicide and ask witnesses to call the department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311. Those who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 329-8181 in Kona or 961-8300 in Hilo. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.