Wailuku teen suffers critical, life-threatening injuries in West Maui crash

The involvement of alcohol is considered a factor in a rollover crash that resulted in the hospitalization of an 18-year-old driver from Wailuku. The teen was ejected from the vehicle and suffered critical, life-threatening injuries in the crash. He was transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center for further treatment.

The front passenger, an 18-year-old Wailuku male, and the rear passenger, an 18-year-old Waiheʻe male, both sustained minor injuries and were transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center in stable condition.

The collision occurred on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Honoapiʻilani Highway, approximately 95 feet south of Kekaʻa Drive in Kāʻanapali.

A preliminary police investigation reveals that a gold 2002 Toyota 4Runner was traveling north on Honoapiʻilani Highway when it drifted left over the solid white lane line and partially entered the left-turn lane for Kekaʻa Drive.

The vehicle struck several delineators, causing the operator to overcorrect to the right, entering a yaw toward the roadway shoulder embankment. The operator then overcorrected to the left in an attempt to avoid the embankment, resulting in the vehicle rolling over multiple times before coming to rest in the roadway on its passenger side, according to police.

Police say the investigation also reveals that:

• The operator and rear passenger were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision.
• The front passenger was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision.
• The Toyota’s airbags did not deploy during the collision.
• The involvement of speed and drugs has not been determined as the investigation is still ongoing.