A 59-year-old Waimea man died Sunday after he was struck by a suspected intoxicated driver while he was changing a tire on Highway 19 Sunday afternoon.
Police identified the victim as Sione Tilini.
Hawaii island police said that at 1:22 p.m., a black 2008 BMW 328i sedan was traveling east on the highway, also known as Kawaihae Road, when it veered onto the shoulder and collided with a parked, unoccupied gold 2004 Toyota Camry sedan, which was facing east on the shoulder.
Three people were outside the Camry on the passenger side of the vehicle changing a front tire at the time, according to police. Tilini is believed to have been between and partially underneath the passenger-side wheels of the Toyota when the crash happened, and the impact caused the car to fall on him, police said.
Tilini was taken to Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:47 p.m.
Two people — a 19-year-old man and an 11-year-old boy — sustained minor injuries after being struck when the parked vehicle was pushed forward in the crash. Both were taken to the hospital, treated and released.
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The driver of the BMW, a 22-year-old Waimea man, was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Police said he was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent injury, driving without a license, no motor vehicle insurance and operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant. The police department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit has opened a negligent homicide investigation.
Anyone who witnessed has information on the crash is urged to contact Officer Dayson Taniguchi at [email protected] or at (808) 326-4646, ext. 229.
This was Hawaii County’s fourth traffic fatality within five days and the island’s the ninth traffic fatality in 2026, compared with 12 at the same time last year, according to police.