Updated at 9:11 a.m., Saturday, March 24, 2007
Hitchhiker hurt in fall from truck; driver sought in Kona
Advertiser Staff
Kona police are asking for the public's help in identifying the driver of a pickup truck involved in a traffic accident on March 17.An unknown man picked up four men hitchhiking in front of the rodeo grounds in Honaunau at about 9:50 p.m. on March 17.
As the driver was traveling up Painted Church Road in Kealakekua, a hitchhiker who was sitting on the closed tailgate fell out of the back of the truck at about 10 p.m. As the other hitchhikers got out of the truck to assist their friend, the driver left the scene.
The injured hitchhiker, a 23-year-old Kealakekua man, was taken to Kona Community Hospital in critical condition. He was later transferred to The Queens Medical Center in Honolulu.
The driver of the truck was described as Caucasian, about 5-foot-5, 250 pounds, with dark, graying hair and a large, gray beard. The pickup was described as small and dark.
Police have classified the incident as a negligent injury case.
Police ask anyone with information about the driver or the accident to call officer Joseph Stender at (808) 326-4646, ext. 245, or the Police Department's nonemergency number at (808) 935-3311.
Tipsters who would rather remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 329-8181 in Kona or (808) 961-8300 in Hilo. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
