Teaching was passion for Maui crash victim

Melissa Egbert had just dedicated herself to teaching English full time at the University of Hawaii Maui College when she died in a head-on collision in Kahului over the weekend.

Teaching was her dream and passion, said Laura Lees Nagle, chairwoman and associate professor of the English Department at UH Maui. “She was a wonderful teacher. She loved her students.”

Egbert, 33, of Lahaina died Saturday after a fiery head-on collision with a silver Nissan driven by Joshua Apo, 29, of Wailuku.

Apo, pursued by police, was driving against traffic when he hit Egbert’s black Scion sedan.

Egbert and Apo were transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where they later died.

A third vehicle, a blue Hyundai sedan also traveling southbound on Kuihelani Highway, also collided into the Scion. Two occupants in the Hyundai, visitors from Washington state, were treated for minor injuries.

Egbert, originally from California, started working as a part-time lecturer for the English Department at Maui College, in 2013, teaching freshman composition courses. At the time she was also working at Maui Jim.

Nagle said she recently decided to quit her job at Maui Jim to devote herself to teaching this fall semester. She had a full schedule as a lecturer, teaching five courses that included freshman composition and business writing courses.

Colleagues said Egbert was always smiling and was a “beautiful person inside and out.”

When a colleague needed someone to cover a class, Egbert was always willing to substitute. “She was really enthusiastic about teaching. She had a high energy about it,” said Nagle.

Nagle and fellow colleagues were devastated when they heard of Egbert’s death.

“We lost a wonderful member of our community.”

Saturday’s chase began on East Waiko Road in Waikapu, where Apo allegedly backed his car into a police car, nearly hitting two officers. Police followed him onto Honoapiilani Highway, from which he turned onto Kuihelani Highway, driving north in the southbound lanes.

Egbert was the vehicle’s lone occupant.