In loving memory: Bikers hold fundraiser for victims of deadly Kona crash

Dozens of Big Island motorcyclists revved their engines and took to the road Sunday morning in memory of three teens killed in a Valentine’s Day crash.

The rumble of the engines echoed throughout Kailua-Kona as more than 150 bikers gassed it and took off from the Big Island Harley-Davidson Dealership on Palani Road in memory of 18-year-old Keliiokahonua Sadumiano of Ocean View, Kaela Avanilla, 17, and Phoenix Hauanio, 17, both of Kailua-Kona. The three were killed in an early morning crash on Feb. 14 on Queen Kaahumanu Highway that also left two injured.

“This is a small community and hearts are sore, but through God’s grace we’re all going to heal together,” said Steve-O Graham, a kahu and member of the Honaunau Headhunters Motorcycle Club, before Sunday’s ride, which featured riders from at least six clubs.

The poker run was not only just a showing of the community’s support for the victims and their families, but also a means to raise funds through entry fees and donations to assist those families affected by the crash, said Dave Foster with the Midnight Riders Motorcycle Club, which facilitated the event. A poker run is a friendly competition among motorcyclists involving checkpoints where participants pick up cards with the hope of garnering the winning hand.

The event also featured a raffle.

Sadumiano was the driver of a Kia multipurpose vehicle that collided head-on with a northbound Nissan pickup truck on Queen Kaahumanu Highway, just north of Hina Lani Street. Avanilla and Hauanio were passengers in the Kia, which subsequently burst into flames.

A 17-year-old girl was able to escape from the right rear passenger seat of the Kia, police said. She and the 39-year-old Kailua-Kona man driving the pickup were hospitalized following the deadly crash.

Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen @westhawaiitoday.com.