Police have identified a man killed Sunday when his 2005 Nissan Frontier pickup truck ran off Highway 137 in lower Puna as 41-year-old John Crouse of Hilo.
Officers responding to the collision — which was reported at 7:37 p.m. in the area of the highway between the 13- and 14-mile markers in Pahoa — determined that Crouse was driving south when his truck veered off onto the right shoulder, struck an embankment and went airborne. The vehicle then struck a nearby tree before coming to a rest.
A woman passenger sustained only minor injuries.
Speed and inattention are the two primary factors in this accident, police said.
Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to contact Officer Clifford Antonio at (808) 961-2339 or clifford.antonio@hawaiicounty.gov.
Those who anonymity may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.