Yesterday morning, a 31-year-old Maui man died in a single-vehicle collision in Kailua-Kona.

Responding HPD officers determined that a silver 2004 Nissan Frontier pickup was traveling south of the intersection of Hawai‘i Belt Road and the Highway 180 junction when it crossed over the double solid lines and struck a rock embankment. The pickup then overturned, struck a utility pole, and went down a 10-foot embankment.

The driver, and sole occupant of the vehicle, was transported to Kona Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead. He has not been positively identified, pending notification of next of kin.

Police believe that speed and impairment are possible factors in the crash. The driver was also not wearing his seatbelt.

The Hawai‘i County Police Department’s Area II Traffic Enforcement Unit has initiated a coroner’s inquest investigation and is asking anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact Officer Dayson Taniguchi at (808) 326-4646, ext. 229, or via email at dayson.taniguchi@hawaiicounty.gov.