LIHUE — The county employee who died in a roadside crash Thursday has been identified. Kauai Police Department reported that Severino Butay, 55, of Kalaheo, died Friday morning and two coworkers were injured following a traffic accident on Kaumualii Highway,
LIHUE — The county employee who died in a roadside crash Thursday has been identified.
Kauai Police Department reported that Severino Butay, 55, of Kalaheo, died Friday morning and two coworkers were injured following a traffic accident on Kaumualii Highway, just east of Eleele.
According to a preliminary investigation, Butay was next to a trailer attached to a county pickup truck when the crash occurred about 9:30 a.m. The truck and trailer were parked along the westbound shoulder of Kaumualii Highway, between mile marker 14 and 15.
Butay and two other county employees were reportedly repairing a tire attached to the parked trailer when a semi-truck, traveling west on the highway, attempted an abrupt stop due to traffic. The semi-truck veered off the roadway and collided with the parked trailer.
Butay died as a result of the crash and the other two workers were taken to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the semi-truck did not report any injuries.
Traffic safety investigators closed Kaumualii Highway in both directions for roughly four hours. Traffic was diverted onto Halewili Road until both lanes were reopened about 2:30 p.m.
An investigation continues.
