A wreck that slowed H-1 Freeway traffic for hours yesterday is once again calling attention to how long accident investigations tie up motorists.

Police vehicular homicide investigators shut down all the westbound lanes of the freeway shortly after the accident occurred at 1 a.m. and did not reopen them until 6:56 a.m.

A six- to seven-hour investigation is excessive, said state Rep. Marilyn Lee, D-38 (Mililani-Mililani Mauka). "Other states deal with the problem, so we need to try and work it out," Lee said.

Honolulu police have said they recognize their investigations affect traffic, but their priority is to conduct a thorough accident investigation, even if it causes delays.

The westbound lanes of H-1 were closed for nearly six hours yesterday because "the investigation was complicated by the fact that multiple vehicles were involved in multiple collisions," said police spokeswoman Michelle Yu.

The accident left one woman in critical condition, another in serious condition and a 3-year-old boy with minor injuries.

A bill that failed in the state Legislature last year would have expedited traffic investigations involving deaths and critical injuries.

"We should look at it again and work with (Honolulu Police Chief) Boisse Correa to see if there is a more prudent way to do it," said state Rep. Michael Magoay, D-46th (Ka'ena Point-Kahuku). "The concern is cutting down the time element."

The California Highway Patrol takes only 30 minutes to investigate major accidents and an hour to investigate fatalities, according to the bill.

A police investigation should not exceed a couple of hours, said state Rep. Mark Takai, whose district includes parts of the busy Central O'ahu corridor.

"What needs to be weighed is doing a thorough investigation against the ability to keep our roadways open and accessible," said Takai, D-34th (Newtown, Waiau, Pearl City, Waimalu). "I think the Legislature needs to revisit the issue."

GAWKERS A PROBLEM

Although the 1 a.m. wreck was in the west-bound lanes, it caused a major delay in the east-bound morning peak-hour traffic as town-bound motorists would slow to look at what was happening on the other side of the freeway.

The "gapers' block" frustrated thousands of Leeward and Central O'ahu motorists headed into town during peak-hour morning traffic.

West-bound drivers were directed off the freeway at the Waimalu exit, resulting in a miles-long backlog in the westbound lanes that grew worse with the approach of morning peak-hour traffic.

Delays while police investigate fatal or critical traffic accidents are not uncommon on O'ahu.

A massive traffic snarl followed a fatal December 2004 wreck after police closed four of the five lanes on H-1 in Pearl City for three hours, backing up motorists all the way to Downtown Honolulu. Side-street traffic also was gridlocked for hours as commuters scrambled to find alternative routes.

The legislation considered last year would have established a special investigation team that would use laser technology, digital cameras and computer-aided drawing software to reduce the length of road closings.

Magoay said the bill cleared the House but failed to make it out of the Senate Transportation/Ways And Means Committee.

THREE VEHICLES INVOLVED

In the accident yesterday, investigators concluded that a 21-year-old Mililani woman was headed west on the freeway when she lost control of a 2006 Nissan Frontier pickup truck near the Waimalu exit.

The pickup drifted off the right shoulder, back across the freeway, struck a concrete barrier and spun around before coming to rest with the front of the truck facing east, police said.

A 19-year-old Kapolei woman driving a 1997 Toyota Corolla could not stop in time and crashed head-on into the truck, police said.

They said the two women got out of their vehicles and were standing near the truck when a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by a 44-year-old Waipahu man crashed into the wrecked vehicles, causing the car to hit the two women, knocking both of them to the pavement.

The 21-year-old suffered critical head and leg injuries, while the 19-year-old was in serious condition, police said.

They said a 3-year-old boy who was a passenger in the truck driven by the 21-year-old woman suffered minor injuries.

The investigation that shut down westbound lanes also delayed deployment of the zipper lane, which creates an additional town-bound lane to help deal with the morning peak-hour traffic heading for town.

The zipper lane typically is ready for use by town-bound vehicles with two or more occupants before 5 a.m.

But because of the crash, the zipper lane was not opened in its entirety until about 6:15 a.m.

Staff writer Rod Ohira contributed to this report.

Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com and Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.