KOHALA, Hawaii (Island News) – A fatal collision occurred Sunday at 1:22 p.m. on Kawaihae Road, prompting a negligent homicide investigation by Hawaii Island Police.
Authorities reported that a 2008 BMW 328i sedan, traveling eastbound, veered onto the south shoulder and struck a parked Toyota Camry sedan. At the time, a 59-year-old man was changing a tire on the passenger side of the Camry, with a 19-year-old man and an 11-year-old boy nearby.
The collision resulted in the Toyota falling onto the 59-year-old man, who was taken to Queen's North Hawaii Community Hospital and pronounced dead at 2:47 p.m. He was identified as Sione Tilini of Waimea. The other two individuals sustained minor injuries and were treated at the hospital before being released.
The driver of the BMW, a 22-year-old man from Waimea, was hospitalized with critical injuries and later arrested on multiple charges, including Negligent Homicide and Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of an Intoxicant.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Officer Dayson Taniguchi at dayson.taniguchi@hawaiipolice.gov or at 808-326-4646, ext. 229.
This incident marks Hawaii's fourth traffic fatality within five days and the ninth on Hawaii Island in 2026, compared to 12 at the same time last year.