A 3-year-old Hilo girl died following a single-vehicle crash Tuesday nigh in the parking lot of the Val Hala apartment complex on Puueo Street in Hilo.
A 3-year-old Hilo girl died following a single-vehicle crash Tuesday nigh in the parking lot of the Val Hala apartment complex on Puueo Street in Hilo.
She was identified as Kawenalanionapua Low-Hopeau, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
Responding to a 6:26 p.m. call, police determined that a 2008 Ford sports-utility vehicle was traveling north through the parking lot of the apartment complex and struck the 3-year-old toddler.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, they reported finding HPD officers performing CPR on the girl in a grass area fronting the apartment complex. Medics initiated advanced life-saving protocols and transported her to Hilo Medical Center, according to the Hawaii Fire Department. Police say she was pronounced dead at 7 p.m.
The driver of the Ford, a 66-year-old Hilo woman, was not injured.
Police do not believe that speed or alcohol were factors.
An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
The Area I Traffic Enforcement Unit has initiated a negligent homicide investigation and is asking anyone who witnessed the crash to call Officer Clarence Acob at 961-2293 or email: clarence.acob@hawaiicounty.gov. Those who prefer to remain anonymous may call the island wide Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.
Because this didn’t occur on a public roadway, it is not counted as a fatality for statistical purposes.