A Plymouth Voyager van containing a father and daughter crashed into a Coast Guard navigation tower on Ala Moana boulevard last night, injuring both occupants and closing east-bound lanes of Ala Moana at Ward Avenue.

The 51-year-old driver and his 13-year-old daughter were taken to The Queen's Medical Center following the 5:42 p.m. crash, police said.

The man was in serious condition and the girl was in stable condition, said Bryan Cheplic, city Emergency Services spokesman.

The van was heading east when it crashed into the tower, police said. Boaters use the tower as a navigational landmark to guide them safely into Kewalo Basin.

"It was kind of weird — it was a big smash and right after the tower went down," said Bob Wilson, who was sitting across the street when the accident occurred. "It looked like they were making the turn and lost control. Thank goodness no one got hurt the way that car got smashed."

Debris from the tower remained on top of the van and on a blue Oldsmobile 88 sedan that was traveling west-bound in the left lane.

The driver of the Oldsmobile, Charles Ho of Kapahulu, was driving his wife to a Father's Day dinner at Aloha Tower Marketplace when he heard a loud noise from the left side of his car, then saw the van running into the tower.

"While the pole was falling down, I tried to move my car up," Ho said. "But my hands and legs were frozen and became confused. I was frightened and scared."

Ho and his wife were uninjured.

The tower demolished the van and smashed the trunk and rear of Ho's Oldsmobile. Debris from the wreckage blocked all three east-bound lanes of Ala Moana and one west-bound lane.