Two Hospitalized in Near-Fatal Piʻilani Crash

File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

Two people are being treated for life-threatening injuries following a motor vehicle crash on the Piʻilani Highway on Wednesday night, police said.

The incident was reported at 10:58 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013, on the Piʻilani Highway at the Piʻikea Avenue intersection in the Kīhei area of South Maui.

According to police reports, the crash occurred when a grey 2006 Nissan Frontier pickup truck that was traveling north on the highway collided into the right side of a white 1995 Honda Civic that was making a left turn onto the highway from Piʻikea Avenue.

The 20-year-old Wailuku man driving the Civic and his 19-year-old female passenger from Pukalani were transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.

The 30-year-old Kīhei man driving the pickup suffered minor injuries and was treated by medical personnel on the scene, authorities said.

According to a police report filed by Maui Police Sergeant William Hankins, the involvement of speed, alcohol and drugs remain under investigation.

The report states that the occupants of the Civic were utilizing their seatbelts, and airbags in the pickup truck were deployed as a result of the crash.

The incident resulted in the closure of the Piʻilani Highway for several hours while police conducted an investigation.