Morning crash with parked car results in double fatality on North Kīhei Road, Maui

Update: (10:40 a.m. April 4, 2022)

The victims in this crash have since been identified by Maui police as Wil Ruigrok, 52, originally from Iowa, and Laura Romero, 47, originally from California. The Maui Police Department extended condolences to the families and friends of those killed in this crash.

Previous Post: (April 3, 2022)

Two people are dead following an early morning traffic crash involving a pickup truck that collided into a parked car on the shoulder of North Kīhei Road on Maui.

The incident was reported at around 4:05 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, 2022, on North Kīhei Road, about 2.2 miles southeast of Honoapiʻilani Highway in Kīhei.  

Police say a preliminary investigation reveals a 2020 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, driven by a 21-year-old Kīhei man, was traveling southeast on North Kīhei Road, drifted onto the shoulder of the roadway, and collided into the rear of a white 2003 Nissan Sentra four-door sedan; which was parked on the shoulder.

The pickup truck operator, sustained minor injuries and was transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center Emergency Room for treatment.  

The occupants of the Nissan sedan, a 47-year- old woman and a 52-year-old man, were asleep within the vehicle when the collision occurred and were pronounced dead at the scene, according to Maui police.  

The victim’s identities are currently being withheld for 24 hours to allow their families an oportunity to notify their extended family and friends.

Police say their investigation reveals that the male operator of the Toyota pickup truck was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the collision, and the airbags within the vehicle did deploy.

The involvement of speed, drugs, and alcohol has not been determined yet as the investigation is still ongoing. 

This was Maui County’s seventh and eighth traffic fatality of 2022, compared to one at the same time last year.