Waimea man killed, driver arrested after Kawaihae Road crash in South Kohala

A routine tire change on Kawaihae Road ended in a fatal collision in South Kohala when a BMW veered onto the shoulder and struck a parked Toyota Camry, killing Waimea resident Sione Tilini and leaving two other people hurt beside the disabled car.

Hawaii Island police said the crash happened Sunday, May 10, 2026, at about 1:22 p.m. near the 65-mile marker on Highway 19. A black 2008 BMW 328i sedan traveling eastbound mauka drifted onto the south, or Kona-side, shoulder and hit a gold 2004 Toyota Camry that was parked facing east.

Three people were outside the Toyota on the passenger side, changing a front passenger-side tire, when the BMW struck the vehicle. Police said Tilini was believed to have been positioned between and partially underneath the passenger-side wheels when the Toyota fell onto him after the impact.

Tilini, 59, was taken to Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital and pronounced dead at 2:47 p.m. Police identified him as a Waimea man. A 19-year-old man and an 11-year-old boy sustained minor injuries and were later released after treatment.

The BMW’s sole occupant, a 22-year-old Waimea man, was also transported to Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital in critical condition. Police arrested him 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 Hawaii Police Department’s Area II Traffic Enforcement Unit has opened a negligent homicide investigation. Detectives are asking witnesses or anyone with information to contact Officer Dayson Taniguchi at dayson.taniguchi@hawaiipolice.gov or 808-326-4646, ext. 229.

The death was the fourth traffic fatality on Big Island roads within five days and the ninth traffic fatality on Hawaii Island so far in 2026, compared with 12 at the same point last year. That toll will sharpen scrutiny on Kawaihae Road, where drivers routinely mix high speeds, narrow shoulders and roadside emergencies, a combination that can turn a flat tire into a deadly scene in seconds.