Kula Boy Dies in Pauwela Traffic Accident

Maui Police Station, file photo courtesy Maui County.

By Wendy Osher

Maui police have launched an investigation following the death of a 12-year-old Maui boy who suffered fatal injuries in a single-vehicle crash in Pauwela on Sunday.

Maui police say the accident was reported at 5:11 p.m. on Sunday, November 25, 2012 on Pauwela Lighthouse Road (Lot 217), about a half-mile north of the Hana Highway.

According to police reports, a 1984 Toyota pickup truck, was traveling northbound on Pauwela Lighthouse Road, when the driver, a 44-year old Kula man, swerved to avoid a tire on the dirt roadway.

Police say the vehicle overturned onto its passenger side.

A 12-year old male passenger within the vehicle, identified as Connor Ellis of Kula, sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene of the crash, according to police.

The operator was treated at Maui Memorial Medical Center and released.

The involvement of speed, drugs, and alcohol has not been determined as the investigation is still pending.