A 23-year-old man has died from injuries he sustained in a three-vehicle crash along the Hamakua Coast on June 19, according to Hawaii Police Department.
Michael T. Moore of Laupahoehoe was pronounced dead at The Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu at 1:34 a.m. today. The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Moore was driving south on Hawaii Belt Road near mile marker 23 when a Toyota pickup truck, also traveling south, crossed the centerline and sideswiped a tractor-trailer traveling north, causing the tractor-trailer to cross into the southbound lane and collide with Moore’s car, according to police.
The two other drivers, a passenger in Moore’s car and a passenger in the tractor-trailer were treated for their injuries and released.
Traffic Enforcement Unit investigators are continuing the investigation and have reclassified it from a negligent injury to a negligent homicide.
This is the 13th fatality this year on Hawaii Island compared with seven at this time last year.