UPDATED MEDIA RELEASE (3/9/10)

An autopsy conducted Monday (March 8) on Kimo K. Elderts, 28, who was involved in a two-vehicle crash on Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway, .3 miles south of the 71 mile-marker on Saturday (March 6) concluded that he died of natural causes and not from injuries sustained in the crash.

The traffic fatality count was reduced to eight compared with four at this time last year.

UPDATED MEDIA RELEASE (3/8/10)

Police traffic investigators have identified a 28-year-old Hilo man who died Saturday (March 6) from injuries he sustained in a two vehicle crash on Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway, .3 miles south of the 71-mile marker.

The victim was identified as Kimo K. Elderts of a Hilo address.

Responding to a 1:15 a.m. call, South Kohala patrol officers determined that the victim was operating a 1989 Honda four-door sedan and traveling north on the highway when he crossed the centerline and collided with a 2010 Kia multi-purpose vehicle traveling south.

The driver of the Kia, a 21-year-old woman from Kailua-Kona, and her passenger, a 28-year-old man from Kamuela, were transported by Fire Rescue personnel to North Hawaii Community Hospital.

The woman was flown to The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu and was listed in critical condition.

The passenger was still confined to North Hawaii Community Hospital.

Both drivers were not wearing their seat belts while the front seat passenger was.

The victim was pronounced dead at 5:28 a.m. at Kona Community Hospital.

It is unknown at this time if alcohol or drugs were involved but speed was a factor in this crash.

Traffic Enforcement Unit officers have initiated a negligent homicide investigation and have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.

Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to call Officer Andres Fojas at 961-8889.

Media Release compiled by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7

Fire/rescue crews responded to a 1:14 a.m. alarm Saturday (March 6) for a two car high speed crash on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway near the 72 mile marker which closed the roadway.

Two compact vehicles were involved in the head-on collision. One car had a lone driver pinned in the vehicle and pronounced dead on the scene.

The second car had a driver in serious condition who was pinned in the vehicle. A front seat passenger was in serious condition and free from the vehicle.

The highway was closed to traffic during the rescue of the pinned victims, to clear debris and for the police investigation. Both the driver and passenger of the second vehicle were taken to North Hawaii Community Hospital by medic units.

Hawaii County Civil Defense reported that police re-opened the highway to traffic at 6:40 a.m.

iPhone version of video
The 28-man crew from the abandoned fishing vessel Hou Chun 11 cling to life rafts 900 miles south of Honolulu, Feb. 9, 2010. Coast Guard crews from Hawaii and Alaska responded to the 28-member crew and provided medical assistance. U.S. Coast Guard video by Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point.

MEDIA RELEASE

Life rafts from the disabled fishing vessel Hou Chun 11 float 900 miles southwest of Honolulu, Feb. 8, 2010. Coast Guard crews from Hawaii and Alaska responded to the 28-member crew and provided medical assistance. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Air Station Barbers Point.

Coast Guard crews have located the 28-member crew of the disabled fishing vessel Hou Chun 11 early Tuesday morning and are providing medical care to injured crewmembers.

Corpsmen aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley are treating two Hou Chun 11 crewmembers who are reported to have suffered burns. The Alex Haley will transit to Christmas Island, Kiribati, where the two burn victims are scheduled to be medically evacuated.

The Alex Haley arrived on scene at approximately 3 a.m. Tuesday. A Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point HC-130 Hercules aircrew remained on scene after the Alex Haley arrived to coordinate the exact position of the life rafts.
Coast Guard and U.S. Navy aircrews remained on scene throughout the night.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

he fishing vessel Hou Chun 11 burns 900 miles southwest of Honolulu, Feb. 8, 2010. Coast Guard crews from Hawaii and Alaska responded to the 28-member crew of the fishing vessel and provided medical assistance. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Air Station Barbers Point.

Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center watchstanders received the call here Monday at 7:30 a.m. about a fire aboard the fishing vessel Hou Chun 11 and launched a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules at 10 a.m. to the vessel’s location 900 miles southwest of Honolulu. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley, homeported in Kodiak, Alaska, and a U.S. Navy P-3 aircrew also responded to the call.

MEDIA RELEASE

Fire/rescue crews responded to a 11:12 a.m. alarm Saturday (Jan 16) for a 19 year-old woman who fell down a shoreline cliff off Beach Drive approximately 1/4 mile east of Paradise Drive in Hawaiian Paradise Park.

The woman slipped and fell 30 feet down the cliffside and broke her left leg. Rescue crews stabilized her and extricated her to medic units on scene.

MEDIA RELEASE

Fire/Rescue crews responded to a 2:36 p.m. alarm Saturday (Dec 5) for two people in large ocean surf in Keauhou near the end of Alii Drive, also known as ‘End of the World Shoreline.’

Crews found two people in the ocean: one treading water, the other floating face-down about 50-75 yards offshore. Rescue personnel entered the ocean to assess both people then had a helicopter airlift them to shore. Both victims were treated and transported to Kona Community Hospital.

UPDATED MEDIA RELEASE (12/3/09 4:40 p.m.)

The Hawai’i Police Department has initiated a missing person case in connection with a missing boater.

Samuel Bower, 58, of Utah rented a 21-foot boat at Honokōhau Harbor on Wednesday (December 2) and was last seen departing the harbor alone in the boat at 10:30 a.m. He said he was heading to Kealakekua Bay to meet with friends, and he was due to return by 5:30 p.m.

At about 6:15 p.m., the rental boat was found north of Honokōhau Harbor about three miles out with no one on board. Fishing gear was found aboard the vessel.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Hawai’i Fire Department are continuing a search. An  HH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew from Air Station Barbers Point was on scene at about 10 p.m. Thursday and commenced a search, starting in Kealakekua Bay to two nautical miles offshore from the missing man’s last known position off the Kailua, Kona coastline. Crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Kiska, a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Hilo, also joined the search early Thursday, at about 7 a.m. Both Coast Guard crews plan to search through Friday morning.

Bower is described as Caucasian, 6-foot-3, 225 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. The boat was described as a 21-foot Kona Boat Rentals with a blue Bimini top.

Police ask that anyone with information on his whereabouts or anyone who may have seen the boat call Detective Sean Smith at 326-4646, extension 275, Coast Guard in Honolulu at (808) 842-2600 or via VHF marine band radio channel 16.

MEDIA RELEASE (12/03/09 9:15 a.m.)

Fire/Rescue crews responded to a 6:28 p.m. alarm Wednesday (Dec 2) for an unattended boat motoring 2 miles off-shore the Pine Trees surf spot area of the Kona coast.

The fire department rescue boat crew found a 21 foot Triumph motoring in a tight circle. Rescue personnel used a tarp to tangle the propellers and stall the engines. Crews could not find the occupant of the craft on board or in the area. Fire/Rescue crews are continuing the search Thursday (Dec 3).

The cause of the incident is unknown and the boat is owned by Kona Boat Rental.

This isn’t in Hawaii, but it is a reminder of what our service members accomplish every day, even on the homefront. Plus, it’s why we love helicopter pilots.

ASTORIA, Ore. – The Coast Guard medically evacuated a crewmember from a U.S. Navy submarine off the coast of Washington, Tuesday (Sept 29). The Navy contacted the Coast Guard at 5:50 p.m. to request assistance in transferring a crewmember to a hospital from a submarine. Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, Ore., launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew to assist. The rescue helicopter arrived on scene at 7:12 p.m. and hoisted the crewmember by basket from the sail of the submarine. The crewmember was transferred to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore. (U.S. Coast Guard video/Air Station Astoria)

U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point crew members Petty Officer 2nd Class Ray Oliveira and Petty Officer 2nd Class Yahya Sharp drop medical supplies from a C-130 search plane to the cruise ship Carnival Spirit, approximately 230 miles northeast of Honolulu, Monday (Sept. 21). (U.S. Coast Guard video/Petty Officer 3rd Class Angela Henderson)

MEDIA RELEASE

A U.S. Coast Guard air crew medically evacuated an ill 63-year-old male from the cruise ship Carnival Spirit Monday.

Eleventh Coast Guard District Command Center watch standers, located in Alameda, Calif., received the distress call from the crew of the 959-foot cruise ship Saturday at 1 p.m.

Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) watch standers, located here, were contacted at 11 p.m. Saturday after the cruise ship’s doctor reported the man’s condition was deteriorating.

JRCC watch standers placed the cruise ship on a firm communications schedule. The ship’s doctor reported Sunday afternoon that the man needed vital medication by 2 p.m. Monday because the ship’s supply was running low.

An Air Station Barbers Point C-130 long-range search plane crew air dropped the medication to the cruise ship 200 miles northeast of Oahu at 12:30 p.m. Monday.

When the cruise ship was 100 miles of Oahu Monday, an HH-65 rescue helicopter crew medically evacuated the man via a rescue basket at 5:40 p.m.

The man was taken to Tripler Army Medical Center at 6:20 p.m.

“The communications between the JRCC, Eleventh (Coast Guard) District and cruise ship personnel were vital to the success of this operation,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Franco Hernandez, a JRCC watch stander.

UPDATED MEDIA RELEASE (9/14/09)

The Hawai’i Police Department, along with the Hawai’i Fire Department, responded to a 2:05 p.m. call Saturday (September 12) of an apparent drowning in waters off Kona International Airport.

The victim, who was reported to be picking opihi, was spotted face down and motionless in the water about 25 yards off shore. Fire Department divers placed the victim in a net suspended from the Fire Department’s helicopter and brought him ashore, where ground units attempted to revive him.

The victim, identified as 44-year-old David Kawika Magallanes of Kailua-Kona, was pronounced dead at Kona Community Hospital at 3:30 p.m.

Police have initiated a coroners inquest case. An autopsy is pending to determine the exact cause of death.

MEDIA RELEASE (9/12/09)

Fire/rescue units responded to a 2:07 p.m. alarm Saturday (Sept 12) for a 44 year-old opihi picker lost in the ocean at Keahole Point in Kona. The picker was missing for 40 minutes before being located floating face-down by Chopper Two 25 yards off-shore according to the man’s friend.

The victim was airlifted from the water by Chopper Two via Billy Pugh net and a rescue specialist. The man was taken via medic unit to Kona Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The cause of death was reported to be a possible drowning.

MEDIA RELEASE

Fire/rescue crews responded to a 10:46 a.m. alarm for a capsized boat 1/2 mile off Kona International Airport Saturday morning (Sept 12).

A large swell had broken over the 12-foot Alii Kai capsizing it with two adults and one child on board. A passing 16-foot watercraft took the child aboard and called for help which brought Chopper Two to locate the vessels and the fire department’s rescue boat to pick-up the two adults clinging to the capsized boat.

The rescue boat took all the two adults and child on board and towed the capsized vessel back towards Honokohau Harbor where the Coast Guard took over towing the vessel in.

There were no injuries reported in the incident.

Fire/rescue crews responded to a 12:51 a.m. alarm for seven lost shoreline fishermen in the Kalapana lava field area Monday (Aug 17). One of the fishermen had fallen, struck their head and the fishing party decided to leave and seek medical treatment for the injured person. On the way back to their vehicles in the darkness the group became lost in which direction they needed to go.

Emergency crews arrived on scene at the end of Highway 130 and the fishermen were able to use the lights on the vehicles to guide them back to the roadway. The injured fisherman had minor swelling to the face and refused medical treatment on scene and went to the Hilo Medical Center via one of their vehicles.

Fire crews were back in their stations by 2:39 a.m. and there were no other injuries reported.

MEDIA RELEASE

Fire/rescue crews responded to a 6:51 p.m. alarm for an overturned outrigger canoe 200 yards off Honolii Point. A rescue boat and Chopper One were dispatched to the scene of the swamped canoe. Fire/rescue crews on shore spotted the canoe with six paddlers in the surging ocean conditions.

The Keaukaha Canoe Club paddlers were assisted into the rescue boat which towed the canoe back to shore at Hilo Bayfront. There were no injuries during the event.

The Hawaiian islands were under a high surf advisory by the National Weather Service until 6 p.m. for south facing shores.

Photography by Baron Sekiya/Hawaii247.org

Fire/Rescue crews along with Chopper One responded to search for a missing hiker in the Kalapana area near the 19 mile marker of Highway 130.

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Fire/rescue units along with Chopper One repsonded to a 6:53 p.m. alarm Tuesday (July 21) for a missing hiker in the Kalapana area.

The hiker had called 911 after being lost for three to four hours in the forest makai of the 19 mile marker of Highway 130. The 22 year-old male was wearing shorts, no shirt and had no food or water. The lost hiker was exploring the forested area makai of the nursery where he worked when he got lost.

The hiker was was able to direct Chopper One to his location using his cellphone communicating with fire dispatch. The helicopter directed the hiker to a clearing where he was picked up and was flown out to Highway 130 where he was released. The hiker suffered no injuries during the event.