KAPAA – Kauai police responded to two traffic crashes in Kapaa Wednesday afternoon causing four people to be hospitalized. At approximately 3 p.m., three teenage males were heading west on Kawaihau Road in a blue Dodge SUV, when the 17-year-old
KAPAA – Kauai police responded to two traffic crashes in Kapaa Wednesday afternoon causing four people to be hospitalized.
At approximately 3 p.m., three teenage males were heading west on Kawaihau Road in a blue Dodge SUV, when the 17-year-old driver lost control of the vehicle and struck a large tree and fence line.
Police transported the driver to Wilcox Memorial Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and released. The 16-year-old front seat passenger of the vehicle sustained serious injuries and remains at Wilcox hospital in stable condition. The rear passenger, 18, was ejected from the vehicle as a result of the crash. He was initially transported to Wilcox hospital then medevaced to Queen’s Medical Center in critical condition. He has since been upgraded to stable condition.
Speed is a suspected factor in the cause of the accident.
Kawaihau Road was closed in the area until roughly 7 p.m. while KPD’s Traffic Safety Section conducted its investigation. Vehicles were detoured onto Kahuna Road during the closure.
A second crash occurred at around 5 p.m., when a Chevy sedan was making a left turn onto Kuhio Highway from the north entrance of the Kealia Lookout, when it was struck by a northbound Honda sedan. The impact of the collision caused the Chevy to flip over and come to rest along the southbound shoulder of the highway.
The 62-year-old driver of the Honda, a Kapaa woman, refused medical treatment at the scene. The driver of the Chevy, age 26, of California, and her two female passengers, age 25 and 22, all sustained minor injuries. They were transported to Wilcox hospital for medical evaluation.
Kuhio Highway remained open in both directions during the emergency response.
Both crashes remain under police investigation.
