A 66-year-old man who died after after motor vehicle/pedestrian collision in Hilo on Thursday afternoon has been identified as Wayne Metz of Mountain View.
Officers responding to a 4:26 p.m. call determined that a 2018 Dodge pickup truck driven by a 70-year-old Hilo man was traveling south on Ohuohu Street between Makaala and Puainako streets when it struck Metz, who was crossing the road fronting a food establishment and wasn’t in a marked crosswalk.
Metz was unresponsive at the scene and pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. at Hilo Medical Center. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
The pickup truck driver was not injured as a result of the collision.
A negligent homicide investigation has been initiated. At this time, police believe that speed was not a factor in the crash.
Metz’s death is the third traffic fatality of 2024 as compared to one at the same time last year.