Maui Teen Suffers Fatal Injuries in Olowalu Crash

By Wendy Osher

A motorist suffered fatal injuries in a single car crash in the Olowalu area of the Honoapiilani Highway early this morning.  Maui police have since identified the victim as 19-year-old Jared Alvarez of Lahaina.

Police say, Alvarez was traveling north on the Highway toward Lahaina at around 2:34 a.m. on Sunday, March 24, when the incident occurred.

According to police reports, the white 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee that the man was driving traveled off the roadway onto the north-bound shoulder near Mile Marker-16.  Police say the vehicle then came back onto the roadway, overturned onto its driver’s side, and traveled into the south-bound shoulder where it collided into a telephone pole before coming to rest.

Police say the man was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle.  A police report noted that the seat belt was buckled, however the driver was sitting in front of it.

Police say Alvarez was the lone occupant of the vehicle and died at the scene of the crash.  The official pronouncement of death came shortly after 7 a.m. following transport to the Maui Memorial Medical Center.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

This was Maui County’s 4th traffic fatality for 2013 compared to 5 at this same time last year.