A dump truck driver was killed Saturday when he apparently lost control of his vehicle before striking a tree on Kaiminani Drive in North Kona.
The man was driving a westbound 1992 blue Kenworth dump truck when he apparently lost control of it makai of Kailana Place. The truck then continued several hundred feet down Kaiminani Drive, turning on its side and striking two parked vehicles before wrapping around a large tree on the north side of the road near Wainana Place, Hawaii Police Department Traffic Enforcement Unit Sgt. Christopher Gali said.
“I just heard a massive, massive, huge crash,” said Shari Lindenberg, whose two vehicles parked in front of her home were struck in the crash. “You could feel it in the house. All I can say is thank Jesus no one was else was hurt and we prayed for the man.”
Cregg Kemble was on his lanai when the wreck occurred about 12:30 p.m. He said he saw the truck turn on its side, strike the Lindenberg’s two vehicles and then flip before striking the tree and a portion of his rented home. He used a garden hose to help put out a small fire that started after the crash.
“I threw my dogs and myself into the house,” he said, noting that rocks flew through windows and the truck came to a stop in the bedroom of his 16-year-old son, who was not home at the time.
The man driving the truck, which belongs to Bertelmann Inc., was pronounced dead at the scene.
Gali said police have tentatively identified the man but are waiting for positive identification from the family. Bertelmann Inc. declined comment on the scene.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
No injuries were reported by any of the property owners affected by the wreck.
Police have not yet determined the cause of the crash, however, an officer on the scene said it appeared the truck’s brakes may have went out.
Gali said police will inspect the vehicle to determine the actual cause of the crash.
Kaiminani Drive was closed in the area until about 9 p.m. Saturday while police investigated the scene and crews worked to remove the large dump truck from Kemble’s yard.
