Motorcyclist dies after crashing into dump truck in Pahoa
Police are investigating a fatal traffic collision Monday afternoon involving a motorcycle and a dump truck that occurred just south of the Pahoa Police Station.
Officers responding to a reported traffic collision at 3:38 p.m. learned that a motorcyclist, a man believed to be in his 30s or 40s, was traveling Pahoa bound on Keaau-Pahoa Road (Route 130) and began passing multiple vehicles on the mauka shoulder.
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The motorcyclist then collided with a 2020 Peterbilt dump truck that was making a right turn into a driveway.
The motorcyclist — who was not wearing a helmet — was unresponsive at the scene and was transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 7:23 p.m.
An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
The motorcyclist’s identity is being withheld pending notification of the next-of-kin.
The operator of the dump truck, a 67-year-old Hilo man, wasn’t injured.
At this time, police believe speed and alcohol and/or drugs are possible factors in the collision.
The East Hawaii Traffic Enforcement Unit responded to the scene and is continuing this investigation.
This incident is the second time in two days that Hawaii Island police have responded to a fatal traffic collision involving a motorcycle in Puna. Police are still investigating a traffic collision involving a motorcyclist and a sedan on Sunday in Keaau that killed 32-year-old Negozi Young of Puna.
Anyone with additional information regarding this collision is asked to contact Officer Jerome Duarte at (808) 961-2339 or Jerome.Duarte@hawaiicounty.gov. Those who prefer anonymity may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
This is the fifth traffic fatality of 2025 compared to four at this time last year.