UPDATE: Kahului Crash Victims Identified, Arrest Made
File photo by Wendy Osher.
By Maui Now Staff
On Monday, July 6, 2015, at approximately 8:49 p.m., a motor vehicle collision occurred at the intersection of Hāna Highway and Hoʻokele Street in Kahului as a Ford F-150 pickup truck traveled east on Hāna Highway and collided with a Ford Taurus four-door sedan turning left onto Hoʻokele Street from Hāna Highway.
The Ford Taurus was traveling north on Hāna Highway prior to executing the left turn at Hoʻokele Street from a designated left-turn lane.
The 72-year old male operator of the Ford Taurus and a 16-year-old male passenger of the Ford Taurus were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver has since been identified following the notification of next of kin as Ronald John Dean of Auburn, Washington; the passenger, Noah Joshua Chapman, is from Boise, Idaho.
The other two passengers of the Taurus, one male 14-year-old and one 69-year-old woman, who were initially transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition have since been upgraded to stable condition.
The driver of the Ford F-150 pickup truck was treated for minor injuries and released by medics at the scene.
Preliminary investigation and witness accounts have revealed that the pickup driver, now identified as Roman Semes, 36, of Hāʻiku, attempted to flee the scene on foot following the crash, but was later apprehended nearby by responding MPD 0fficers.
Semes was subsequently arrested for two two counts of negligent homicide in the first degree, two counts of negligent injury in the first degree, and accidents involving death/personal injury.
Semes was later released pending further investigation.
The involvement of speed, drugs, and alcohol are still pending as the investigation is ongoing.
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