A 19-year-old Kailua, Kona, man died yesterday after crashing his pickup truck on Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway, three-tenths of a mile north of the 95-mile marker.

Hawai'i County police Traffic Enforcement Unit supervisor Sgt. Christopher Gali identified the victim as Thomas Keliinohomoku.

According to Kona patrol officers, Keliinohomoku was a passenger in a 2004 Toyota pickup truck headed south on Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway that crashed at 12:58 a.m. after overtaking another vehicle at high speed.

Three occupants — the driver and another male passenger who was riding in the bed of the truck with Keliinohomoku — were ejected. The three men were taken in critical condition to Kona Community Hospital by Fire Rescue personnel, and Keliinohomoku died at 3:50 a.m.

The driver of the vehicle, Liko Asing of Kailua, Kona, was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent injury, operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, reckless driving and four counts of reckless endangering, and released pending further investigation due to his medical condition.

Asing and the other passenger were flown to The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, where Asing remained in critical condition today.

Police said the three men in the Toyota pickup may have been involved in an altercation with four men in a 2004 Ford pickup truck at a gas station in Kailua, Kona.

The Ford pickup left the station headed north on Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway and it appears the Toyota pickup truck began chasing it and attempted to run the vehicle off the road, police said. The driver of the Ford turned around near the Keahole Airport and started traveling back toward Kailua, police said.

The driver of the Toyota continued the pursuit and had overtaken the Ford near the 95-mile marker when he lost control, ran off the road and overturned, police said.

The occupants of the Ford pickup were not injured.

The death was the Big Island's 11th traffic fatality on the year compared to 10 by this day last year.