What the insurance company does not want you to know is that months of delay do not automatically destroy a Hawaii crash claim. The common mistake is assuming, "I didn't take enough photos, I lost paperwork, so it's over," and then waiting even longer while the best evidence disappears.

The correct approach is to rebuild the file now, before more records are erased.

In Hilo, start by getting the Hawaiʻi Police Department traffic crash report if officers responded, especially on routes like Highway 11, Saddle Road, or Kanoelehua Avenue during storm or flood conditions. If it was a FedEx truck, 18-wheeler, or other commercial vehicle, ask for the report number, driver identity, company name, trailer number, and any witness names.

Then lock down records that vanish fast:

• Dashcam or business surveillance footage
• 911 call logs and dispatch records
• Tow yard and vehicle storage photos
• Phone records showing when you called for help
• Medicare statements, hospital bills, ambulance records, and PIP payment logs
• Weather and road-condition records tied to flash flooding, hydroplaning, or storm debris

Hawaii is a no-fault state, so your own PIP coverage should have been the first source for medical bills after the crash. But if your injuries meet Hawaii's injury threshold, you may still pursue the at-fault driver. The big deadline is usually 2 years for a personal injury lawsuit in Hawaii, and that clock keeps running while people are still treating.

If the crash involved an unmarked road hazard, also request maintenance and complaint records from the County of Hawaiʻi or the State Department of Transportation, depending on who controlled the road.

Do not rely on memory. Write down, today, a dated timeline: where the crash happened, rain or flood conditions, who arrived, what you felt, when symptoms got worse, and every doctor, clinic, and imaging visit since then. That timeline can connect medical treatment months later to the original Hilo wreck.