A man is dead after a collision Saturday night on Mamalahoa Highway outside Waimea.
Jourdan Evangelista, 20, of Waimea, was in the front passenger seat in a green 1999 Volkswagen Jetta that was headed north. The driver began to maneuver on a curve about a half-mile south of mile marker 3 and lost control due to weather conditions, police said.
There was consistent rainfall, propelled by a westbound wind across the unsheltered roadway, police said.
The Jetta veered into the southbound lane, where it was in a broadside collision with an oncoming gold 2014 Dodge Caravan driven by a 55-year-old Waikoloa woman, police said.
Both drivers and Evangelista were taken to North Hawaii Community Hospital, where Evangelista was officially pronounced dead at 9:06 p.m. An autopsy was ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
Both vehicles were still in contact with each other after the wreck, the Caravan on the shoulder, with the Jetta’s passenger side front pressed against it. The force of the impact and work of the emergency crews left all the windows knocked out, leaving the interiors exposed to the constant rain.
Police shut down the highway from the Waimea airport intersection to the Saddle Road intersection for several hours.
Due to the darkness and adverse weather conditions, traffic enforcement officers marked the scene and performed initial investigations before the tow crews arrived. Officers resumed the negligent homicide investigation in daylight on Sunday.
Police ask anyone who witnessed the crash to call Officer Kimo Keliipaakaua at 326-4646, ext. 229. People who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 329-8181 in Kona.
This is the 16th fatality this year compared with nine at this time last year.