HILO, Hawai‘i — Authorities are investigating a fatal two-vehicle collision on Daniel K. Inouye Highway that occurred on the afternoon of Thursday, October 23, 2025. The crash resulted in one woman’s death and left five others seriously injured, including a three-week-old infant.
At approximately 4:34 p.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 25-mile marker.
Police determined that a 2022 Toyota pickup truck, driven by 43-year-old Kimo Medeiros of Kurtistown, was traveling east (Hilo-bound) when it overtook multiple vehicles and collided head-on with a 2014 Subaru multipurpose vehicle traveling west (Kona-bound).
Medeiros and the five occupants of the Subaru were transported to Hilo Benioff Medical Center for treatment. Sadly, a 47-year-old woman, Anina Masaichy of Kailua-Kona, who was a backseat passenger in the Subaru, was found unresponsive at the scene and later pronounced dead at 7:53 p.m. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
The other five occupants of the Subaru, including the infant, a four-year-old boy, a 17-year-old girl, and two adults, an 18-year-old woman and a 51-year-old man, sustained serious injuries. The infant and four-year-old were medevaced to Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children on Oahu, while the 17-year-old was flown to Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu for further treatment.
Medeiros was arrested on suspicion of multiple charges, including:
- Driving under the influence of an intoxicant
- First-degree negligent homicide
- Three counts of first-degree negligent injury
- Two counts of second-degree negligent injury
- Reckless driving
- Driving without a license
After being treated for his injuries at Hilo Benioff Medical Center, Medeiros was medevaced to Queen’s Medical Center where he remains in serious condition.
Investigators believe that speed, alcohol, and/or drugs may have contributed to the crash. Daniel K. Inouye Highway was closed in both directions during the investigation but has since reopened.
This tragic incident marks the 19th traffic fatality on Hawai‘i Island in 2025, compared to 25 traffic fatalities at the same time last year.
The Area I Traffic Enforcement Unit continues to investigate the crash. 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.