A motorcyclist was killed late Thursday afternoon in a collision with a sport-utility vehicle in lower Puna.
A motorcyclist was killed late Thursday afternoon in a collision with a sport-utility vehicle in lower Puna.
According to Pahoa Fire Capt. Chris Mantz, the motorcyclist, a man, was dead at the scene of the collision, which occurred at about 4 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 130 and Leilani Avenue in Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa. He referred further questions to police.
A caller to the Tribune-Herald said the SUV sustained significant damage to its front end, while pieces of the motorcycle were strewn “all over the road.”
The driver of the SUV and a passenger in the SUV were not seriously injured but were shaken, according to a Fire Department radio message.
Police issued a Nixle alert message via email and cellphone text messages at 5:14 p.m. advising motorists that traffic would be re-routed to the Leilani and Pohoiki Road intersection for several hours while Traffic Enforcement Unit officers investigated the crash.
Police had not identified the victim as of press time, but the fatality was the 37th on Big Island roads this year, compared to 20 at this time last year.