Kainaliu man killed in car crash; 4 other men injured
Advertiser Staff
Speed and alcohol are suspected in a one-vehicle crash early Saturday in Kona that killed a 33-year-old man, Big Island police said
Police identified the victim as Joel Aguilar Ramirez, a Mexican national living in Kainaliu, Kona.
Ramirez was one of five men, all Mexican nationals, thrown from a south-bound 1996 Geo that went off the right side of the roadway on Route 180 between the seven- and eight-mile markers at 3:33 a.m.
Ramirez died at Kona Community Hospital at 5:52 a.m.
None of the men were wearing seat belts, said Sgt. Christopher Gali.
Investigators have been unable to determine who was driving. The other four — Salvador Gonzalez Cruz, 27; Jaime Lopez Aguilar, 23; Gerardo Aguilar Garza, 19; and Ivan Ramos Villegas, 18, all of Kainaliu — were treated for minor injuries. They were arrested for suspicion of first-degree negligent homicide and released pending further investigation.
Ramirez is the Big Island's 16th traffic fatality this year compared with 23 by this time in 2007.