Police identified a 66-year-old Kapaau man who died following a single-vehicle crash Monday on Keokea Beach Road in Kapaau as Myron Okubo.
Officers responding to a 3:25 p.m. call determined Okubo was driving a 2000 Dodge pickup truck north on Keokea Beach Road and somehow ended up outside the truck’s cab being dragged by the vehicle. The truck then veered west across the roadway and down a short embankment where it struck a tree. The collision with the tree caused Okubo, who was the sole occupant of the truck, to become pinned between the front driver’s door and the cab of the pickup, sustaining injuries he died of at the scene.
Police say speed does not appear to be a factor in this crash and an autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
A coroner’s inquest investigation has been opened and anyone who may have witnessed the fatal collision is asked to contact Officer Justin Hooser at 326-4646 ext. 229.
Okubo’s death is the third official traffic fatality this year compared to four at this time last year.