This is the third official traffic fatality on the Big Island this year compared with five at this time last year.
A 6-month-old boy from Japan died Thursday from injuries he received when a van his father was driving ran off Hawaii Belt Road (Highway 11) and overturned near the 48-mile marker in Kapapala, Ka’u.
The victim of the 5 p.m. crash was identified as Yuta Suzuki of Shiyonawate, Japan.
The driver, a 36-year-old man from Japan, and two passengers, a 37-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman, were taken to Ka’u Hospital. The driver and male passenger were treated for minor injuries and released. The woman was later transferred to Hilo Medical Center for further evaluation.
An ambulance took the infant, his 28-year-old mother, a 30-year-old woman passenger and another female passenger, age unknown, to Hilo Medical Center.
The baby was pronounced dead at 7:55 p.m. The mother was treated and released. The the other two women were listed in serious condition.
All the adults were wearing seat belts. The baby was not in a car seat at the time of the crash.
Traffic Enforcement Unit officers have initiated a negligent homicide investigation and have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
This is the third official traffic fatality on the Big Island this year compared with five at this time last year.