Truck driver in fatal Kauai crash arrested

Kauai police have arrested the 51-year-old Kilauea man who was the driver of a Ford pickup truck in a fatal head-on traffic crash on Kuhio Highway near Wailapa Road in Kilauea on Tuesday.

The man was arrested Wednesday upon his release from Wilcox Hospital on suspicion of negligent injury and negligent homicide. He was released pending investigation.

Police said the Ford truck driver was heading northbound about 7:25 p.m. when his truck apparently crossed the center line, sideswiping a southbound Jeep SUV and striking a Dodge SUV. The head-on collision overturned the Dodge.

Police said the Dodge SUV’s driver, a 28-year-old man, was fatally injured. His identity was not released.

A 55-year-old Kilauea man, who was a passenger in the SUV, was taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital and then flown to the Queen’s Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition, police said. The Jeep’s driver, a 50-year-old woman, was taken to Wilcox for treatment and was later released.

Correction: A previous version of this story reported the victim was 29-years-old.