Published on November 30, 2023
An Ōma‘o man has died following a traffic crash on Kaumuali‘i Highway in the vicinity of mile marker 5.5 on Thursday.
The Kaua‘i Police Department have identified the decedent as 66-year-old Nathan Louis.
Shortly after 9:15 a.m. Thursday, KPD and Kaua‘i Fire Department personnel were dispatched to a report of a traffic crash involving a motor vehicle near mile marker 5.5 on Kaumuali‘i Highway, in an area also known as Knudsen Gap.
According to a preliminary report, a 66-year-old man was driving a Toyota Matrix in the westbound direction. The vehicle hit a guardrail, crossed the eastbound lane, and struck guardrails on both sides of the highway before crashing into an embankment on the westbound shoulder. Upon first arrival by responders, the driver appeared to be having a health episode. First responders treated the Ōma‘o man before transporting him to Wilcox Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead by a medical doctor.
Kaumuali‘i Highway in the vicinity of mile marker 5.5 was closed in both directions for approximately 2 hours while the Kaua‘i Police Department’s Traffic Safety Section conducted an on-scene investigation.
Speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors in the crash at this time. However, the investigation remains ongoing, and toxicology reports and an autopsy are pending.
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