Suspect in Paia crash arrested, released pending investigation
A 76-year-old Paia man was arrested Thursday after admitting he was involved in a crash that sent a pedestrian to the hospital with potentially lifethreatening injuries earlier this month, according to the Maui Police Department.
At 4:32 a.m. Nov. 9, Wailuku District officers responded to reports of a pedestrian who had possibly been hit and was lying in the roadway on Baldwin Avenue and Mahi Ko Street in Paia. The pedestrian, a 41-year-old man from Paia, was transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center emergency room with lifethreatening injuries.
The MPD Traffic Division Vehicle Homicide Unit was contacted to assist Wailuku Patrol Division. Investigation on the scene determined that the pedestrian was within the roadway, outside of a marked crosswalk, when he was struck by a northbound vehicle, police said. The driver fled the scene and failed to render aid to the victim or provide information to police as required by law.
Wailuku patrol officers conducted a follow-up investigation in the same neighborhood as the crash, documented their findings and forwarded them to MPD Vehicle Homicide investigators, who reviewed photographs and physical evidence and applied for a search warrant to seize the suspected vehicle.
At 1:36 p.m. Thursday, Vehicle Homicide investigators obtained a search warrant for the seizure and search of a 1989 Volkswagen Vanagon van. They contacted the 76year-old driver at his Paia residence, where he admitted to his involvement in the crash and that he was driving the vehicle that struck the victim, police said.
At about 3:15 p.m. Thursday, investigators placed the man under arrest for the offense of accidents involving substantial bodily injury.
He was transported to the Wailuku station where he was processed and released pending further investigation, which is common in these types of investigations as further information and investigation are needed before presenting the case to prosecutors, police said.
MPD Vehicle Homicide investigators will continue to investigate the crash and complete a report for prosecution.
“Motor vehicle crashes that involve life-threatening injuries or fatality are very complex and time-consuming investigations,” Lt. William Hankins, commander of the Traffic Division, said in a news release Friday. “Our team of investigators, along with Wailuku Patrol Officers spent countless hours investigating this crash, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure a complete and detailed investigation of this crash is presented for prosecution. The victim in this crash and his family deserve a thorough and complete investigation by police, and that is exactly what families and victims can expect.”