A 20-year-old Kaʻu man died Sunday from injuries he sustained in a single-vehicle crash late Friday on Hawaii Belt Road and the junction with Ginger Blossom Lane in Ocean View. ADVERTISING A 20-year-old Kaʻu man died Sunday from injuries he
A 20-year-old Kaʻu man died Sunday from injuries he sustained in a single-vehicle crash late Friday on Hawaii Belt Road and the junction with Ginger Blossom Lane in Ocean View.
He has been identified as Austin L. Yurong of Ocean View.
Police said Yurong, who was alone in a 1986 Toyota pickup truck, was driving east on Hawaii Belt Road (Route 11) between the 80- and 81-mile markers approaching the junction with Ginger Blossom Lane when he lost control and veered off the right shoulder, colliding with a lava embankment. The vehicle veered back into the southbound traffic lane and then back into the lava embankment, rolled twice and came to rest upright, straddling the center lane markings.
Yurong was ejected from the vehicle and found lying unconscious on the south shoulder. He was taken to Kona Community Hospital and later transferred to The Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu, where he was pronounced dead at 12:39 p.m. Sunday.
Police believe that alcohol and speed may be contributing factors to this collision.
An autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to call Officer Larry Flowers at 326-4646, ext. 229.
Yurong’s death is the 8th official fatality this year compared to 17 at this time last year.
