Updated at 11:02 a.m., Friday, June 29, 2007
Maui woman dies of injuries suffered in traffic accident
Advertiser Staff
WAILUKU, Maui — A 36-year-old Kihei woman died yesterday as a result of injuries suffered in a June 19 traffic accident on Pi'ilani Highway.Rochelle Kekona died at 10:15 a.m. at Maui Memorial Medical Center, said Lt. Robert Hill of the Maui Police Department's Traffic Section. She was a passenger on the back of a Wailea-bound 2007 Harley-Davidson that struck the back of a 1999 GMC pickup truck south of the Keonekai Road intersection, he said.
The driver of the truck, an 18-year-old man from Folsom, Calif., had found himself in a right-turn-only lane and tried to change lanes in front of the motorcycle, Hill said. The motorcycle operator, a 46-year-old Kihei man, swerved to avoid the truck and hit the back of the vehicle. Kekona was not wearing a helmet, Hill said.
The motorcyclist suffered cuts and bruises, while the truck driver was uninjured.
Kekona's death is Maui County's 14th traffic fatality of the year, compared with nine a year ago.
