A man driving a pickup truck on Kau­kona­hua Road in Wai­alua may have been asleep when his vehicle crossed the center line and hit an oncoming pickup truck Friday morning, killing that vehicle’s driver, police said.

The crash happened at 10:28 a.m. on a straightaway above Thompson Corner, where Kau­kona­hua joins Farrington Highway.

A blue Ford Ranger, driven by a Wai­alua man, 42, was traveling north when it crossed the center line and struck a white Toyota pickup truck heading toward Wahiawa, said police Lt. Robert Towne of the Traffic Investigations Division.

The driver of the white pickup, a man in his mid-50s, was taken in critical condition with internal injuries to the Queen’s Medical Center, where he later died. His passenger, a 76-year-old woman, was listed in serious condition with fractures.

The driver of the blue pickup was taken to the hospital in good condition with a minor laceration.

The man who was killed was not the owner of the pickup he was driving, making a positive identification more difficult.

"The driver of the blue truck may have fallen asleep," Towne said.

All three were wearing seat belts. The older white truck was not equipped with air bags that could have helped minimize injuries, Towne said.

Kaukonahua Road was closed between Schofield Barracks and Thompson Corner for more than three hours as officers investigated the scene. Traffic was diverted to Kamehameha Highway.

It was the 48th fatality on Oahu roads so far this year, compared with 46 at the same time last year.