Motorcyclist dies in Pāhoa crash on Kahakai Boulevard, driver arrested

Kahakai Boulevard has become a painful familiar name in Pāhoa, and another deadly crash there has renewed concerns about how quickly a routine turn can turn catastrophic on one of Puna’s busiest local corridors.

Hawaii Island police said officers responded at 5:27 p.m. on June 3 to a collision involving a motorcycle and a vehicle near Niuhi Street. When responders arrived, they found Korey Palmerton, 30, of Pāhoa, unresponsive at the scene. He was later pronounced dead at Hilo Benioff Medical Center at 6:18 p.m. Police said Palmerton was not wearing a helmet.

Investigators said Palmerton was riding west on a Honda CBR600F when a 2006 Toyota Camry traveling east attempted a left turn onto Niuhi Street. The motorcycle struck the sedan. The Hawaii Police Department’s Area I Traffic Enforcement Unit is handling the case, and police said several people were interviewed as part of the investigation. An autopsy was ordered to determine the exact cause of death.

The driver of the Camry, 36-year-old Michael L. Richardson of Pāhoa, was arrested in connection with the crash for negligent homicide, operating under the influence of an intoxicant and no motor vehicle insurance policy, police said. The arrest gives the case immediate consequences beyond the collision itself, as investigators and prosecutors work through the next steps in a roadway death that has shaken a community where Kahakai Boulevard is part of daily life.

The June crash follows another fatal collision on Kahakai Boulevard in Pāhoa on Dec. 30, 2024, when bicyclist James M. Cordova was struck just west of Olao Street. In that case, police said Richardson was arrested for first-degree negligent homicide, operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant and no motor vehicle insurance policy. Police said that crash was the 29th traffic fatality on Hawaii Island in 2024 at that point.

The pattern has sharpened attention on how vulnerable riders and bicyclists move through Pāhoa, where Kahakai Boulevard links homes, stores and the center of town. Hawaii Island Vision Zero’s traffic collision mapping also noted that parts of ZIP code 96778 include areas where more than 25% of residents live below the poverty level, underscoring how safety, access and infrastructure intersect in Puna.

For residents who use Kahakai Boulevard every day, the latest fatality is not just another wreck on a map. It is another reminder that one turn, one lane movement and one moment of bad judgment can leave a lasting mark on a small town already living with too many road deaths.