Deadly Waihee Crash Claims A Third Person

A deadly crash in Waihee Wednesday night claimed the life of a third person.  Authorities say the back seat passenger from the single car collision died Sunday afternoon, October 4, 2009 at 12:35 p.m.  The victim was identified as 17-year-old Jared Kalamaku Kana of Waihee.  Jared was the younger brother of the driver, 20-year-old Nailima Kana, who also died as the result of injuries sustained in the Wednesday night collision.

The front seat passenger, 20-year-old Tyson Latham, died on Thursday, October 1, 2009, after being transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition.  Latham was from Keanae but was living in Waiehu and was employed by the County of Maui as a lifeguard.

The accident was reported shortly after 10:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 30, 2009, on the Kahekili Highway about a half mile north of Wilipohaku Street.

The Mazda sedan that the three males were in was headed north on the Kahekili Highway when the driver lost control of the car. The vehicle crossed the centerline and reentered the northbound lane before hitting an embankment where it overturned and came to rest against a tree.

The Maui Fire Department assisted in the extraction of the occupants from the vehicle.

Seatbelts were not used and speed is suspected as a factor in the crash.

The accident was the 15th, 16th, and 17th traffic related fatality in Maui County this year, compared to 14 at the same time last year.

(Posted by Wendy Osher; Updated @ 3:47 p.m. Sunday, October 4, 2009)