Kauai bicyclist rear-ended by truck, critically injured

A 69-year-old bicyclist was critically injured Thursday morning when a pickup truck hit him from behind in Kekaha.

Kauai police said a Kekaha man was riding a bicycle west on the westbound shoulder of Kaumualii Highway when a westbound truck hit him about 7:30 a.m. just west of the Akialoa Road junction.

The bicyclist was wearing a helmet. The driver of the truck, a 33-year-old Koloa man, was not injured.

Emergency personnel took the bicyclist to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital in critical condition. He was then flown to the Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu.

Police closed the westbound lane of Kaumualii Highway for more than two hours, while the eastbound lane remained open to alternating traffic flow. 

Both lanes of the highway were reopened at 10:10 a.m.