Teenager dies in Maui car accident

Advertiser Staff

A 17-year-old Maui girl died in a New Year's Day auto accident on 'Iao Valley Road, police said.

The teenager, identified by police as Kulia-Naomi Souza of Wailuku, was one of two passengers in a Ford Escort headed east on 'Iao Valley Road, just west of Ua Place. About 2 a.m., the vehicle slid onto the right shoulder and struck a utility pole, police said.

Souza, a passenger in the front seat, was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center where she died at 3 a.m.

The 20-year-old driver and a 19-year-old passenger were also injured.

Police have not determined if speed, drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.