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A Lahaina teen suffered life-threatening injuries early this morning when the Pontiac Firebird he was driving ran off Honoapiilani Highway and crashed into a ravine, where the vehicle caught fire.
The 17-year-old boy was extricated from the vehicle and transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center, according to the Maui Police Department. The boy’s identity has not yet been released.
The crash occurred at about 2:24 a.m. on the Honoapiilani Highway nearly 300 feet north of Leialii Parkway near mile-marker 22.
Police said a preliminary investigation reveals that the operator of the Firebird was speeding south in the area of Wahikuli Wayside Park.
The driver apparently lost control of his vehicle and collided into a guard rail before crossing both the southbound and northbound lanes and through the intersection of Leialii Parkway into a dirt field and then a ravine.
Police said the operator was wearing a seatbelt but the airbags did not deploy. Speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in the crash, while potential drug use has yet to be determined, police said.
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