HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The family of a man who was killed in a double-fatal crash on Hawaii Island is speaking out for the first time. They say his death was preventable.

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The crash happened May 5 on Daniel K. Inouye Highway near mile marker 26.

Zachery “Zach” Winston, 34, was heading toward Kona that day. Police say he was hit head-on by Hilo-bound driver Todd Matsuhita, 70, who was trying to overtake another vehicle.

Both men died at the scene.

Winston’s mother, Lisa Paddleford, said her other son, Ryan, told her the news.

“He said, ‘Mama, I love you.’ I said, ‘Ryan, what’s up? I love you. What’s up? What’s up?’ And he said, ‘Zach’s been in a car accident.’ And I said, ‘He’s OK, right?’ And he said, ‘Mom, he didn’t make it,’” Paddleford said.

Winston had moved to Hawaii Island for fresh start

Winston grew up in Virginia and was living in Pahoa, farming, working for Door Dash and jewelry making. His family said he had been living on Hawaii Island for about a year to get a fresh start in life.

His mother remembered their last conversation just 30 minutes before the crash.

“He had shared a dream with me and he wanted to talk about it. And I promised him I’d call him later, which I did. It was too late. But he was finally so genuinely loved himself, and that’s what he’d been looking for,” Paddleford said.

Ryan Winston said his brother was “the life of any party, that was for sure. People just gravitated towards him. He was very, a very fun person, very loving.”

DOT announced no-passing zone in 2024

In August 2024, the state Department of Transportation announced between mile post 23.5 and 26.1 “will become no-passing zones effective upon installation of signs and pavement markings.” The DOT said “the work will be completed that Thursday.”

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But a recent drive along the highway in both directions shows a curved road with no signs, dashed lane dividers and Winston’s roadside flowers.

Jeffrey Foster, the family’s attorney, said since March 2024, there have been five fatalities on the stretch of highway where Winston was killed.

“Those five fatalities all occurred because passing is allowed. There’s no signs. There’s no signage saying no passing. The lanes allow for passing that has to change,” Foster said.

Two days after the crash, DOT Director Ed Sniffen said, “It’s very clear that along this route, people are driving way too fast for the passing zones. So we’re reconsidering whether or not we should have passing zones in about 10 of those 15 to 20 that we have out there. We may be eliminating a lot more of them.”

The family said they support calls from Hawaii County’s mayor and police for more traffic safety measures.

“My son was just simply going to Costco and it didn’t have to happen. It’s preventable,” Paddleford said.

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