UPDATE 11-19-21, 5:30 p.m.: Police have identified the 13-year-old victim killed in the crash as Augustina James.
Police have also arrested the 21-year-old driver arrested as Jaychris Romer. He was later released without charges being filed, pending further investigation.
A 13-year-old Waikoloa girl died after being struck by a car Thursday evening near the intersection of Kamakoa Drive and Iwikuamoo Drive in Waikoloa village.
The girl has been positively identified, but police aren’t releasing her name because she was a juvenile.
Officers responding to a 6:36 p.m. call determined a black 2007 Honda Accord 4-door sedan was southbound on Iwikuamoo Drive when the driver lost control and drove onto the sidewalk. The vehicle then struck the 13-year-old female pedestrian and her teenage male friend. The car then rolled over several times into a vacant lot.
The girl was taken to Kona Community Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 11:38 p.m.
The driver of the Honda Accord sedan, a 21-year-old Waikoloa man his 16-year-old male passenger, also of Waikoloa, were treated and released at North Hawaii Community Hospital. The driver was later arrested and booked on suspicion of first-degree negligent homicide, DUI and driving without a license.
He was later released without charges pending further investigation.
Police think speed and impairment are possible factors in the collision.
An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Officer Jason Foxworthy at (808) 326-4646, ext. 229 or email at Jason.foxworthy@hawaiicounty.gov.
The girl’s death is the 25th official traffic fatality this year compared to 14 at this time last year.