According to police reports, a 1995 Acura Integra carrying two men, both 20, was speeding in the highway's eastbound lane and had crossed the double solid line to pass a car to its right when it collided head-on with an oncoming 1990 Mazda pickup truck carrying four people.

The Acura came to rest in bushes on the makai side of the highway while the pickup remained on the road.

The Acura's driver, a 20-year-old man from Waimanalo, was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition while his passenger, also 20, was reported to be in fair condition.

The impact caused a boy and girl, both 17, who were riding in the truck's bed, to be ejected. The two were taken along with the pickup's driver, a 20-year-old Honolulu man and his front-seat passenger, a 16-year-old Kane'ohe girl, to The Queen's Medical Center where all four were listed in fair condition.

Police closed a section of the highway between Kealahou Street and Makapu'u Beach to conduct their investigation but reopened the highway at about 5:40 a.m. They had not yet determined if the crash involved the use of alcohol or drugs.

Fire Capt. Greg Poole of the Hawai'i Kai station said it appeared that about one-quarter of the front end of the Acura collided with an equal amount of the front of the Mazda truck.

"Fortunately, it wasn't a full-on head-on crash," Poole said.

Firefighters had to use a hydraulic device to free the two men from the Acura, Poole said.