Waikoloa man, 30, dead after crashing car on Highway 11

A 30-year-old Waikoloa man has died following a one-car crash Sunday night on Highway 11, Hawaii island police said.

At about 8:08 p.m. near the entrance to Manuka State Recreational Park in Kau, a black 2008 Mercedes Benz 280 convertible was traveling north at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control and struck the rock sign fronting the park, police said.

The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the Mercedes.

Police said he was taken Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:18 a.m. Monday.

His passenger, a 25-year-old Kailua-Kona man, was also taken to the hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

Police said speed and impairment were factors in this crash. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the man’s exact cause of death.

Police did not immediately release his identity.

This was the Big Island’s 11th traffic fatality this year compared with 25 at the same time last year.