Cliff-fall survivor improving

By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Neighbor Island Editor

The 3-month-old girl who survived a 150-foot plunge in a car from a Maui cliff last week was waiting yesterday to be moved out of the intensive care unit at Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children and could be headed home this weekend, a family member said.

Kaila Ku'ulei Callo appears to have no lasting injuries from the April 13 wreck, said great-grandmother Mary Goodman. The baby's mother, Tiffany Malia Romena, 16, suffered minor injuries in the accident, which killed Denise Callo, 34, of Hali'imaile, and James Makekau, 16, of Pukalani.

Police said the four had stopped at an unpaved overlook off the pali area of Honoapi'ilani Highway, and that the driver, Denise Callo, was attempting to make a U-turn to leave when the right front tire caught the edge of the cliff, causing the 1992 Nissan sedan to tumble to the rocky shore below.

Goodman said Romena was able to hold her baby yesterday for the first time since the wreck, and that the family is still stunned by the fact the two survived the fall. "It's an act of God; nothing else can explain it," she said.

Reach Christie Wilson at (808) 244-4880 or cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com