Personal injury lawyer help in Hawaii County, Hawaii

Hawaii County, Hawaii includes 28 named communities, the largest being Waikoloa, Mountain View, Captain Cook. Whether an accident happened on a county road, in a small town or in one of the larger communities, the same Hawaii rules apply: a 2-year filing deadline for most injury claims, modified comparative negligence (51% bar), and lawsuits filed in the Hawaii County Circuit Court. This page is the county-wide guide, with links to a page for each community.

You describe what happened anywhere in Hawaii County using the free claim review form, and your request may be shared with participating attorneys or legal services partners who handle that type of matter in Hawaii. Submitting a request does not hire an attorney, and everything below is general legal information, not legal advice about your specific situation.

From 2020 through 2024, federal crash records list 112 fatal crashes in Hawaii County, in which 118 people died. The roads with the most were State Route 11 with 22 fatal crashes, State Route 19 with 19 and State Route 200 with 8.

The yearly count was 15 in 2020, 26 in 2021, 31 in 2022, 14 in 2023 and 26 in 2024; 51% of the crashes happened after dark. 24 involved a pedestrian, cyclist or other person outside a vehicle, and 22 happened at or near an intersection.

Most fatal crashes in Hawaii County happen after dark. In night crashes, evidence about street lighting, headlights, speed and visibility tends to decide fault, and much of it disappears within days.

Communities in the county with the most fatal crashes coded to them:

• Captain Cook, HI9 fatal crashes · 9 deaths, 2020-2024
• Kea‘au, HI8 fatal crashes · 8 deaths, 2020-2024
• Waikoloa, HI6 fatal crashes · 8 deaths, 2020-2024
• Volcano, HI3 fatal crashes · 4 deaths, 2020-2024
• Kurtistown, HI2 fatal crashes · 2 deaths, 2020-2024

In Hawaii, the driver in a crash that kills or injures anyone, or causes property damage that appears to be $3,000 or more, must notify the nearest police officer immediately (HRS § 291C-16). The driver must also report the crash in writing or in person to the county chief of police within 24 hours when anyone is killed or injured or any one person's property damage appears to exceed $3,000 (HRS § 287-4).

Who must report

The driver in a crash in which anyone is killed or injured, or property damage appears to be $3,000 or more

Report to

The nearest police officer; and the county chief of police (the county police department), in writing or in person

Deadline

Police notice: immediately, by the quickest means. Report to the chief of police: at the earliest practical time, and within 24 hours

Copy of the crash report

Honolulu Police Department Records Division (Oahu crashes; on other islands, ask that county's police department)

Sources: Hawaii Revised Statutes § 287-4; Hawaii Revised Statutes § 291C-16; Honolulu Police Department: police reports. Checked November 3, 2026. General information, not legal advice; local rules and police practice can add steps.

Each community below has its own guide with the local court, insurance rules and every type of injury claim.

• Waikoloa, HIpop. 4,806
• Mountain View, HIpop. 3,924
• Captain Cook, HIpop. 3,429
• Volcano, HIpop. 2,575
• Honoka‘a, HIpop. 2,258
• Kea‘au, HIpop. 2,253
• Kealakekua, HIpop. 2,019
• Pepeekeo, HIpop. 1,789
• Kapaau, HIpop. 1,734
• Kurtistown, HIpop. 1,298

Smaller communities in Hawaii County include Hakalau, Hawaii National Park, Hawi, Holualoa, Honaunau, Honomu, Kamuela, Keauhou, Laupahoehoe, Naalehu, Ninole, Ocean View, Ookala, Paauilo, Pahala, Pahoa, Papaaloa, Papaikou. Residents of these areas follow the same Hawaii rules, use the same Hawaii County Circuit Court, and can request a free claim review from anywhere in the county.

Hawaii generally gives an injured person two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (HRS § 657-7); medical malpractice is different (two years). Wrongful death claims follow their own deadline, which can differ from the one above. Claims against a city, county, school district or state agency follow separate and often much shorter deadlines. Once the deadline passes, the Hawaii County Circuit Court will dismiss the case regardless of how clear the fault was, so the practical rule in Hawaii County is to get legal advice early.

Hawaii follows modified comparative negligence (51% bar). In plain terms, you can recover as long as you were not more than 50% at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault. Insurance adjusters apply this rule from the first phone call, which is why the way an accident is described and documented in the days after it happens in Hawaii County has a direct effect on what a claim is worth.

After a car accident in Hawaii County, your own personal injury protection (PIP) coverage pays initial medical bills and a portion of lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. A lawsuit against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering is available only when injuries meet Hawaii's serious-injury threshold or costs exceed PIP limits. Minimum required coverage in Hawaii is 20/40/10.

Lawsuits arising from accidents in Hawaii County are typically filed in the Hawaii County Circuit Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Hawaii County, although cases can sometimes be filed where the defendant resides or does business, and claims against out-of-state trucking companies or manufacturers may end up in federal court. Most claims settle before trial, but the credible ability to try a case in Hawaii County is what moves insurers to pay fair value.

Employees injured on the job in Hawaii County are generally covered by Hawaii workers' compensation, administered through the Hawaii Disability Compensation Division. Report the injury to your employer in writing, as soon as practicable (HRS § 386-81) — a late report can delay or put the claim at risk, and the exceptions vary by state — then file the formal claim within two years. Workers' compensation does not pay for pain and suffering, so when a third party such as a subcontractor, driver or equipment manufacturer caused the injury, a separate personal injury claim is often worth pursuing alongside it.

• Maui County, HI
• Honolulu County, HI
• Kauai County, HI

See the Hawaii personal injury guide for every county in the state.