A 58-year-old Honokaa man died after a car he was working on fell on him Wednesday afternoon.
A 58-year-old Honokaa man died after a car he was working on fell on him Wednesday afternoon.
At 4:10 p.m. Wednesday, Honokaa patrol officers responded to a home on the 45-3200 block of Ohia Street in Honokaa, where a man, identified as James Thomas Jones, was found unresponsive underneath a van, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
Investigation determined that Jones had been working on the van that was held up by a vehicle jack when it collapsed on him, according to police.
Hawaii Fire Department rescue personnel removed him from under the van. He was taken to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 9:04 p.m.
Although detectives found no evidence of foul play, the case was initially classified as a coroner’s inquest pending an autopsy. The autopsy conducted Friday morning determined that Jones died from asphyxiation do to traumatic chest compression, according to police.
The case will be reclassified as a home accident.