Victims identified in triple fatal crash near Kona Airport

KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII (HawaiiNewsNow) - Another deadly crash on Hawaii Island claimed the life of three people, and left one person in critical condition, police confirm.

West Hawaii Today identified two of the victims as Hector Vargas Vigil and Ocdulio Garcia Orellana. The third victim has not yet been identified.

The fiery crash happened just north of the Kona International Airport Wednesday morning.

Officers responded to a call around 6:30 a.m. near the 92 mile marker on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway.

According to police, an unidentified male driving a 1998 Toyota 4Runner heading North was reportedly passing other vehicles on the highway when he lost control. The 4Runner then veered into the oncoming lane, and collided with a 2008 Nissan Titan, driven by a 37-year-old Kamuela man.

"The titan front end was just completely smashed in. The other vehicle was on its side completely engulfed in flames. You could not even tell what kind of vehicle it was. It was terrible," witness Nick Rose said.

The driver of the 4Runner, his passenger, and the driver of the Nissan Titan were all taken to the Kona Community Hospital where they were pronounced dead.

A 32-year-old female passenger in the Titan was also taken to the hospital where she remains in critical condition, police say.

Cell phone video taken at the scene of the accident shows the two vehicles engulfed in flames.

Police suspect speed is a factor, but are unsure if alcohol was involved.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the official cause of death.

In the last week alone, five people died on Big Island roads.

This is the 13th, 14th and 15th traffic fatalities of the year for the Big Island compared to 10 this time last year.

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