Pukalani man dies in four car pile up

(Posted by Wendy Osher)

A Pukalani man died in a four car pile up Sunday morning on the Haleakala Highway.  The accident was reported at 10:20 a.m. in the mauka-bound lanes near the Keahua Junction.

Authorities identified the man as 96-year-old Masami Nikaido.

According to police reports, the accident occurred when a van rear-ended a car driven by Nikaido, which in turn struck two additional vehicles.  The 2002 Ford E150 van, driven by a 47-year-old Kahului woman, was traveling east on the highway and approaching the junction when the accident occurred.  Her van rear-ended Nikaido’s 2004 Toyota Echo, which in turn struck a 2008 Nissan Sentra driven by a 56-year-old Kaneohe woman, and a 2010 Toyota Tacoma driven by a 24-year-old Kahului man.

Four people were transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center for treatment.  Haleakala Highway was reduced to one lane of travel while police investigated the crash.

The death was the sixth traffic fatality on Maui County roads this year compared to seven at the same time last year.