Police Investigating Fatal Traffic Collision on Daniel K. Inouye Highway That Left Two Dead
Hawai‘i Island police are investigating a fatal two-vehicle collision on Daniel K. Inouye Highway that left two men dead on Tuesday morning, May 5, 2026.
At approximately 11:00 a.m., South Hilo Patrol officers, along with personnel from the Hawai‘i Fire Department and Pōhakuloa Fire and Emergency Services, responded to a report of a head-on collision near the 26-mile marker.
Police determined that a 2011 Toyota Corolla four-door sedan traveling east (Hilo-bound) was overtaking a vehicle and struck a westbound (Kona-bound) 2016 Hyundai Tucson multipurpose vehicle head-on.
Medical personnel began life-saving measures on the driver of the Hyundai, 34-year-old from Virginia, but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at 11:38 a.m. His identity is being withheld at this time pending notification of the family.
The driver of the Toyota sedan, identified as 70-year-old Todd Matsushita of Hilo, was located unresponsive at the scene. He was transported to the Hilo Benioff Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased at 12:28 p.m.
Autopsies have been ordered to determine the exact causes of deaths.
Speed and reckless driving are believed to be contributing factors in the crash. Daniel K. Inouye Highway was closed in both directions during the investigation and has since reopened.
The Area I Traffic Enforcement Unit is continuing the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Laurence Davis at (808) 961-2391 or via email at Laurence.Davis@hawaiipolice.gov. Tipsters may also call the department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311.
This is the 6th and 7th traffic fatality on Hawai‘i Island of 2026 compared to 12 traffic fatalities this same time last year.
