Man, 59, dead following ‘bus vs. tree’ crash

HONOLULU (KHON2) -- A 59-year-old man has died following a crash in the Liliha area on the morning of March 17. The crash was a "bus versus tree" collision on North Vineyard Boulevard and Pua Lane, EMS officials said. Honolulu Fire Department officials said they first received notice of the crash shortly after 7 a.m. Upon arrival, HFD said that the man, who was the bus driver, was pinned in the driver's seat. Officials then used hydraulic rescue tools to remove the man from the bus and transferred his care to EMS. According to first responders, the driver received advanced life support at the scene but was unresponsive. His treatment continued as EMS transported him to the hospital. HPD said the man succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. All responding firefighters were accounted for, though three of them suffered from bee stings during the rescue, HFD said. During the collision, the bus struck a beehive in the tree. An HNL Alert was sent out at 7:42 a.m. announcing the closure of North Vineyard Boulevard as a result of the crash. The City and County of Honolulu confirmed that the bus involved was an out-of-service city bus. No passengers were on board during the crash. This is the 12th traffic fatality on Oahu this year, compared to 18 at the same time in 2025.