KPD Identifies Victim in Christmas Eve Fatal Car Crash

The victim in the Christmas Eve fatal two-car crash was identified as 49-year-old Eugenia Villanueva.

The crash occurred on Kaumualiʽi Highway in an area known as Knudsen Gap, east of the Maluhia Road junction at approximately 4 p.m. According to Kauaʽi police a 31-year-old Lāwaʿi man was traveling west when the vehicle veered onto the westbound shoulder.

The truck then crossed back over onto the westbound lane then onto the eastbound lane of the highway where it struck an oncoming 2018 Nissan sedan operated by a 19-year-old Hanamāʿulu man with three other occupants.

Villanueva was the rear passenger in the sedan.

Police immediately responded to the scene, along with Kauaʽi Fire Department stations 4 and 5, and Rescue 3 Response, as well as four ambulance units, two from Līhuʿe, and one each from Kōloa and Waimea.

Villanueva, who was a rear passenger in the Nissan sedan, suffered fatal injuries.
A 71-year-old male resident, also rear passenger in the sedan, suffered serious life-threatening injuries and was medevaced to Queen’s Medical Center on Oʽahu where he remains in critical condition.

The front passenger of the Nissan sedan, a 19-year-old Hanamāʿulu woman, suffered serious injuries and was admitted to Wilcox Memorial Center. She is currently in stable condition. The driver of the Nissan sedan was treated and released at Wilcox Memorial Center.

The driver of the Toyota truck was transported to Wilcox Memorial Center with minor injuries. He was treated and released.

Kaumualiʿi Highway was closed in both directions for approximately four hours while the Kauaʽi Police Department’s Traffic Safety Section conducted a thorough investigation.
Toxicology results are still pending to determine if alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in the collision. The Kauaʿi Police Department’s Traffic Safety Section is conducting an extensive investigation into this tragic collision.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call Officer Isaiah Sarsona of the Traffic Safety Section at 808-241-1618.

This was Kauaʿi’s seventh traffic fatality of 2020.