72
A 67 year-old driver of a macadamia nut delivery van who died Monday when his van hit a tree in Keaau as been identified as Reginald N. Iwasaki, of Hilo.
Iwasaki’s truck hit a pine tree on Macadamia Road about 1.6 miles east of Hawaii Belt Road at 12:48 p.m., police said. The impact crushed the passenger cab.
Puna patrol officers said Iwasaki was driving a 2005 GMC van and traveling east on Macadamia Road when he drifted off the left side of the road and struck a tree.
Iwasaki had to be extricated by Fire Department personnel and later transported to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 3:25 p.m. He was wearing a seat belt.
An autopsy will be done to determine the exact cause of death.
Because the crash occurred on a private road, the death is not counted toward the official traffic fatality count.
