3 die in Kona
head-on collisionA Japanese visitor whose husband
died remains hospitalized
KAILUA-KONA >> A head-on collision killed three people and injured a fourth in North Kona on the Big Island on Monday night.
Teru Kanda, 31, a visitor from Japan, was driving north on Queen Kaahumanu Highway from Kailua-Kona about 9:15 p.m. when his 2003 Ford Mustang crossed the center line and hit an oncoming pickup truck, killing its two occupants, police said.
Frank Crumm, 53, of Holualoa, and Christen Wright-Hill, 39, of Kailua-Kona, occupants of the 2003 Toyota pickup, and Kanda were pronounced dead at the Kona Community Hospital at 12:40 a.m. yesterday.
Kanda's wife Noriko, 32, was in good condition at the hospital, police said.
The accident took place at Kaupulehu, 15 miles north of Kailua-Kona, police said.
Traffic Enforcement Unit officers are investigating and have ordered autopsies to determine the exact cause of the three deaths.
Police would not say whether excessive speed, alcohol or weather conditions were factors in the accident.
The deaths brought the total of Big Island traffic fatalities for the year to seven compared with two at the same time last year.
Two people were killed in separate traffic accidents over the weekend in Kona.
A Holualoa man died Saturday when his van ran off the Queen Kaahumanu Highway and overturned.
A Kailua-Kona pedestrian was killed Sunday when struck by a police vehicle on Alii Drive.
Star-Bulletin reporter Mary Adamski contributed to this report.
