LIHU‘E – Two people are dead and three are hospitalized after a single-car accident on Rice Street early yesterday morning. According to police, on Saturday at approximately 2 a.m., a van was traveling downhill toward Nawiliwili about a tenth of
LIHU‘E – Two people are dead and three are hospitalized after a single-car accident on Rice Street early yesterday morning.
According to police, on Saturday at approximately 2 a.m., a van was traveling downhill toward Nawiliwili about a tenth of a mile past Mokoi Street when it hit a guardrail on the right side of the road, careened across all lanes and ran uphill on the left side of the road, careened back across the road, went over the cliff and struck a tree. The van bulled through enough vegetation before coming to a halt to create an ocean view from the roadside.
The male driver and a female passenger were killed in the crash. The Kaua‘i Police Department has identified the driver as Christopher Santiago, 31, of Kapa‘a. The deceased passenger is 23-year-old Eryn O’Shaughnessy, also of Kapa‘a. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
A 21-year-old female passenger was transported via medevac to Queen’s Medical Center in O‘ahu and remains in critical condition.
A 27-year-old male from Kapa‘a was transported to Wilcox Memorial Hospital with serious injuries and has been released from the hospital. A 24-year-old female was transported to Wilcox with serious injuries and is in stable condition as of Saturday evening.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The police closed Rice Street from Mokoi to the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort & Beach Club entrance until about 8 a.m. in order to complete their investigation.
