Many Hawaii auto insurers may now face the prospect of class actions from medical providers and insureds for wrongful denials of treatment and non-payment of medical bills. Many Hawaii PIP (no-fault) insurers have been unilaterally picking known insurance company doctors on auto PIP cases (see the Hawaii IME -Independent Medical Experts - page for a list of some of Hawaii's known DME and insurance company doctors). These doctors are chosen knowing that they will say that a patient no longer needs medical care. The insurers then cut off the patient from further care and the treating doctor from payments for such care (sometimes retroactively). Two Hawaii Circuit Court Judges have found that such practices violate H.R.S. 431:10C-308.5, which requires that a medical reviewer (so-called IME doctor) be chosen by agreement or by a neutral forum in PIP cases. Judge Ayabe and Judge McKenna in First Circuit Court have both granted motions for summary judgment finding that denials based upon medical experts unilaterally chosen by the insurer were improper and invalid.
On March 17, 2026, at a little after 7 am, a fatal motor vehicle accident occurred on Vineyard Blvd in the Liliha area. For unknown reasons, a 59-year-old city bus driver lost control of his bus, traveled onto the center median, and collided directly into a tree. The driver was critically injured in spite of wearing his seatbelt. The bus was not carrying any passengers at the time of the accident. Later on the same day, the bus driver succumbed to his injuries. The cause of the crash continues to be under investigation. HPD states that this was the 12th Traffic Fatality on Oahu so far in 2026. Man, 59, dead following bus vs. tree crash .
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