Passenger dies, 2 injured
in SUV crash on Big Island
A 27-year-old passenger died and two people were critically injured yesterday in a crash of a sport utility vehicle in Holualoa, North Kona.
Police identified the fatality as Jared Kauila Medeiros, of Kailua-Kona.
The crash occurred about 1:09 a.m. at the bottom of Hiona Street.
Police said 29-year-old Teddy Miller, of Kailua-Kona, was traveling westbound on Hiona Street in a Chevrolet Blazer with three passengers when the vehicle ran off the roadway into a private pasture.
Police said the vehicle overturned, and Medeiros was ejected from the vehicle.
He was transported to Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
The driver and two other passengers, 39-year-old Geraldine Kahele, of Kailua-Kona, and 33-year-old James Felder, of Holualoa, were also transported to the same hospital.
Kahele was taken to Queen's Medical Center on Oahu and was reported in critical but stable condition. Miller was reported in critical but stable condition at Kona Hospital. Felder was released after treatment.
Police are continuing their investigation. Anyone with information can call officer Bradley Freitas, of the Traffic Enforcement Unit, at 961-2332.
This is the 24th traffic-related fatality on the Big Island compared with 15 at the same time last year.