LIHUE — A Kilauea man was arrested in connection to a fatal crash in Kilauea on Tuesday night. James Monroe, 51, was arrested Wednesday morning for negligent injury and negligent homicide, in connection to a three-car accident that claimed the
LIHUE — A Kilauea man was arrested in connection to a fatal crash in Kilauea on Tuesday night.
James Monroe, 51, was arrested Wednesday morning for negligent injury and negligent homicide, in connection to a three-car accident that claimed the life of one man and injured three others. He was released from police custody pending an investigation on Wednesday. He has not been charged, county officials said.
The crash occurred around 7:25 p.m., when a northbound Ford pickup truck driven by Monroe sideswiped a southbound Jeep SUV on Kuhio Highway, just south of Wailapa Road, according to Kauai police. Monroe’s truck then struck an oncoming Dodge SUV, causing the Dodge to overturn.
The 29-year-old male driver of the Dodge SUV sustained fatal injuries as a result of the crash and was later pronounced dead. His identity has not been released.
A 55-year-old Kilauea man who was a passenger in the Dodge was initially transported to Wilcox Memorial Hospital and later medevaced to Queen’s Hospital on Oahu. He was listed in critical condition Wednesday afternoon.
Monroe and the 50-year-old Kilauea woman driver of the Jeep SUV were transported to Wilcox Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Monroe was arrested upon his release from the hospital on Wednesday.
Kuhio Highway was completely shut down for roughly six hours while first responders cleared the scene and police conducted an investigation.
Monroe, a contractor and owner of Monroe Construction in Kilauea, could not be reached by phone on Wednesday.
Monroe’s daughter, Jessie Monroe, 19, of Kilauea, died as a result of injuries from a single-vehicle accident on July 18, 2010. The crash occurred after she lost control of a vehicle and struck a boulder near the north end of Aleka Loop of Kuhio Highway around 1:15 a.m.
Tuesday’s accident remains under investigation. It is Kauai’s first traffic fatality in 2014.
