Hawaii island police say 22 people were sent to the hospital early this morning after a Hele-On bus slid backwards down an embankment off a highway in Laupahoehoe.

Police said the incident occurred just before 5 a.m. at the 25.5 mile marker along Mamalahoa Highway, also known as Highway 19, about 25 miles northwest of Hilo. The Hele-On bus is Hawaii County’s public bus system.

The driver, a 66-year-old Hilo man, reported that he had placed the bus in park and walked toward the rear of the bus to check for available seating when it began rolling backwards.

Police said the bus crashed through a guardrail and then slid down an embankment on the makai side of the highway before coming to a rest on its passenger side.

The highway remained closed for several hours as first responders assiste

See Full Page