Big Island couple killed in Kona traffic crash

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (KHON2) — Big Island police are investigating a fatal two-vehicle collision that occurred on Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway during the early morning hours of Feb. 18, killing a Waimea couple.

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Upon investigation, police determined that a silver sedan was traveling southbound, attempting to overtake multiple vehicles, such as a tractor-trailer carrying a full tank of fuel, when it collided head-on with a northbound pickup truck.

The driver of the sedan, Reginald Kaleilehua Tolentino Jr., 51, and his wife who was also in the vehicle, Colette Marie Kaleialoha Tolentino, 55, were transported to Kona Community Hospital, where they later succumbed to their injuries.

The driver of the pickup truck, a 55-year-old male, sustained life-threatening injuries as a result of the collision and was transported to North Hawaiʻi Community Hospital for initial treatment, before being transported to Queen’s Medical Center on Oʻahu for further attention.

This incident marks the sixth and seventh traffic fatalities for the Big Island, compared to four fatalities this time last year.

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Anyone who may have witnessed the collision is asked to contact Officer Adam Roberg at (808) 326-4646, ext. 229, or at adam.roberg@hawaiicounty.gov.

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