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Moped rider critical after Maui hit-and-run; driver arrested

Maui police arrested a suspected intoxicated driver after he allegedly struck a moped rider in a hit-and-run in Waikapu.

The collision occurred on Honoapiilani Highway, 85 feet from Wilikona Place just after 10:10 a.m. Tuesday.

A preliminary police investigation revealed an orange 2004 Pontiac sedan traveling southbound on the highway rear-ended a blue 2021 Zhong moped. Police said the driver fled the scene without rendering aid.

The moped rider, a 32-year-old Wailuku woman, was caught in the undercarriage of the sedan and “dragged a significant distance before being dislodged,” police said.

The rider, who was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision, sustained critical injuries and was taken to the Maui Memorial Medical Center where she remains hospitalized.

Police said a good Samaritan followed the sedan and called 911. Officers located and stopped the vehicle in Olowalu and arrested the driver on suspicion of negligent injury in the first degree, collisions involving death or serious bodily injury, operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant and promoting a detrimental drug in the third degree.

He was released pending further investigation.

Police said alcohol and drugs were contributing factors in the collision. It’s unknown at this time whether speed was a factor.

The investigation is ongoing.

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