Updated at 6:01 p.m., Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Maui crash victim identified by police
Advertiser Staff
KAHULUI, Maui — A 19-year-old Lahaina man was killed today in a collision between his pickup truck and 40-foot-long tour bus on Kuihelani Highway. Police identified the victim as Erik M.K. Waikiki.The collision was reported to police at 11:02 a.m. and occurred about a tenth of a mile from the Honoapi'ilani Highway intersection.
Traffic investigator Sgt. Barry Aoki said Waikiki's 2002 Ford Ranger was Kahului-bound when it crossed the center line and into the path of a Roberts Hawai'i bus driven by a 49-year-old woman from Makawao.
The bus driver was taken to War Memorial Medical Center, where he was treated and released. Her husband, 58, who also works for the tour company and was the lone passenger on the bus, was not injured.
One or both lanes of Kuihelani Highway were closed until 3:15 p.m. while police investigated the accident. Traffic was diverted onto Waiko Road.
The death was Maui's third traffic fatality of the year, compared to four by this day in 2006.
