Single-Car Crash Leaves Līhuʽe man Dead

A 50-year-old Līhuʽe man was killed in a single-vehicle crash late Friday evening on Rice Street, Kauaʽi police reported Saturday afternoon.

According to a preliminary report, the man was operating a 2003 red Toyota pickup truck and was heading west on Rice Street around 11:30 p.m. when his vehicle struck a utility pole at the intersection of Eiwa Street. The truck continued heading in the same direction, striking another utility pole, before coming to rest in the westbound lane of Rice Street fronting the Kauaʽi Museum.

The driver, who was the lone occupant of the vehicle, was transported to Wilcox Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Speed appears to be a contributing factor in the crash and toxicology results are pending to determine if alcohol and/or drugs were also involved.

Rice Street was closed from Umi Street to Haleko Road for approximately four hours while the Kauaʽi Police Department’s Traffic Safety Section conducted an investigation.

The name of the driver has not yet been released. This is Kaua‘i’s sixth traffic fatality of 2020.