Updated at 6:05 p.m., Thursday, October 25, 2007
Big Island woman injured in Oct. 13 accident dies
Advertiser Staff
A Big Island woman from Na'alehu critically injured Oct. 13 in a collision between a pickup truck and motorcycle on Hawai'i Belt Road in Kona died yesterday at The Queen's Medical Center.The Honolulu Medical Examiner's office today identified the woman as Su-Mei Billman, 55.
She was a passenger on a north-bound Harley-Davidson that was struck by a 1999 Ford Ranger pickup making a left turn near the 106-mile marker at 2:05 p.m.
Edward Billman, 55, who was operating the motorcycle, died at Kona Community Hospital about 2.5 hours after the accident.
The death is the Big Island's 33rd traffic fatality of the year and fifth involving a motorcycle operator or passenger.
As of today, 109 people have been killed in traffic accidents statewide: 50 on O'ahu; 33 on the Big Island; 19 in Maui County, which includes Moloka'i and Lana'i; and seven on Kaua'i.
Nineteen of those deaths have come in 17 collisions involving motorcycles. O'ahu accounts for 10 of the motorcycle-related deaths and nine collisions.
Helmets were not worn in the majority of cases.
