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.
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.