A 28-year-old Mountain View man is dead following a two-car crash early Friday on Highway 11 in Mountain View.
The victim has been identified as Waimoku T. Lum Ho, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
Lum Ho was driving a southbound 1995 Chevrolet pickup truck when he apparently rear-ended a 2009 Dodge Ram flatbed truck that was also traveling south, according to police. Lum Ho was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the 1:27 a.m. crash.
Lum Ho, who according to the Hawaii Fire Department had to be extricated from the vehicle, was transported to Hilo Medical Center where he died at 2:50 a.m.
The driver of the Dodge, a 39-year-old Volcano man, was not injured, according to police.
Police said speed was a factor in the crash, however, it is unknown if alcohol or drugs were contributing factors.
Highway 11 was closed in the area for a several hours while police and fire personnel were on scene, according to police. Traffic was detoured via Old Volcano Road.
A negligent homicide investigation has been initiated and police have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Anyone with information on the crash should call Officer Paul Kim at 961-2332.
This is the ninth fatality on Big Island public roads this year compared with six at this time in 2011, according to police.