WAILUA — One person died following a multiple-car crash on Kuhio Highway near Wailua Golf Course at 3:15 p.m. yesterday, according to county officials. Preliminary reports from Police Dispatch indicate that a tire blew out on a southbound truck, causing
WAILUA — One person died following a multiple-car crash on Kuhio Highway near Wailua Golf Course at 3:15 p.m. yesterday, according to county officials.
Preliminary reports from Police Dispatch indicate that a tire blew out on a southbound truck, causing it to flip on its side. Three other vehicles crashed as a result.
The fatality, a 35-year-old Lihu‘e man driving a pick-up truck, was declared dead at the scene. His wife, a passenger in the vehicle, was medevaced off-island last night. The extent of her injuries as well as those of others involved in the pile-up was not known as of press time.
Shortly after the accident, police shut down Kuhio Highway between Marine Camp Road and South Leho Drive, snarling traffic in both directions into the night. The highway reopened around 7:40 p.m.
Within an hour or two of the crash, vehicles heading south on Kuhio to Lihu‘e were diverted to the emergency bypass road entrance across from Leho Drive mauka of the Aloha Beach Resort. The road empties behind the Roberts Hawaii bus terminal in Hanama‘ulu.
Vehicles heading the opposite direction were directed through Wailua Golf Course via its maintenance road.
Eyewitnesses reported a black truck with big tires and a smashed front end at scene of the accident. A small, light-colored sedan with severe side impact damage was also visible from the golf course.
