UPDATE (4:30 p.m.) – Police have identified the 78-year-old Puna man who died Friday, May 27, in a vehicle-pedestrian collision at the Keaʻau Transfer Station as Gary S. Ambrose of Keaʻau.

Polcie say Ambrose was facing west at a trash shoot to dump garbage when he was struck by a 1990 Dodge van being operated by 66-year-old Perla Whitehawk-Taylor of Hilo. Ambrose was pronounced dead at Hilo Medical Center at 2:40 p.m.

Whitehawk-Taylor was also taken to the hospital, where she was treated and released to the custody of police, who arrested her on suspicion of first-degree negligent homicide and driving under the influence. Police say she remains in their custody while they continue the investigation.

ORIGINAL STORY

KEA’AU, Hawaii – An accident at the Kea’au Transfer Station left one person dead and closed the facility for the rest of the day on Friday.

Answering an 11:12 a.m. alarm, Hawaii County Fire crews arrived at the rubbish dump to find a bystander and a county police officer performing CPR on man laying in front of a dumpster chute. Fire crews say the man was reportedly pinned to the dumpster chute by a vehicle.

The man had a “partial amputation of both legs and lots of blood loss,” a fire dispatch described.

The responding fire crew gave the man, until eventually they were given orders from the base station to stop due to the “obvious death”.

Fire personnel also assessed driver of vehicle involved in the the accident “who wasn’t feeling well due to incident that had occurred.”

A Nixle alert was issued by police at 11:51 a.m. announcing the closure of the Kea’au Transfer Station for the rest of the day due to the accident. Highway 130 at the Transfer Station remains open.

No further details were given on the victim or the driver involved.

Hawaii County Police are on the scene conducting and investigation and awaiting the removal of the body.