Anahola Crash Ejects Passenger, Driver Arrested for Fleeing Scene

A 46-year-old man was thrown from the cargo bed of a 2002 Dodge pickup truck onto Hokualele Road in Anahola after the driver lost control mid-turn, crossed the center line, and struck a guardrail, setting off a chain of events that landed the injured man on a medevac flight to Oʻahu and his driver in handcuffs.

Roland Vierra, 61, of Anahola, was arrested on five charges: Negligent Injury in the First Degree, Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of an Intoxicant, Reckless Driving, Inattention to Driving, and Leaving the Scene of a Crash Involving Substantial Bodily Injury. He was released pending further investigation, a designation Kauaʻi police use when more time is needed before a case can be referred for prosecution.

The crash unfolded around 3 p.m. on March 28 when Vierra's pickup attempted a right turn from Kūhiō Highway onto Hokualele Road and veered across the center line into the guardrail. The 46-year-old in the truck bed had no seatbelt, no airbag, and no structural protection; the impact ejected him onto the road surface. Emergency crews transported him first to a Kauaʻi hospital and then arranged a transfer to The Queen's Medical Center on Oʻahu, where advanced trauma care was available, underscoring how quickly serious injuries on the island escalate into off-island medical evacuations.

OVUII is central to the charge sheet, signaling that impairment is a primary factor under investigation. Vierra did not stop to render aid, a decision that added a fifth count and left the 46-year-old without assistance until responders arrived.

The Hokualele Road junction has now become part of a troubling cluster of serious crashes on Kūhiō Highway through Anahola and the surrounding North Shore corridor. Just five days after this incident, on April 2, Tristen Kuehu, a 38-year-old Kapa'a man riding a moped, was struck and killed when a 77-year-old driver made a left turn into the Anahola Marketplace from Kūhiō Highway. That collision closed the highway in both directions for more than two hours. In mid-March, a motorcyclist was ejected when a Jeep turned across his path at Kūhiō and Kuamoo Road and was also transferred to The Queen's Medical Center. The recurring pattern across these crashes, a vehicle executing a turn and striking a more vulnerable road user, points to both turning-movement visibility along this stretch and the consequences of driver inattention or impairment in those moments.

The Kauaʻi Police Department's investigation into the March 28 crash is ongoing. Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to call Officer Joseph Himongala at (808) 241-1617. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers Kauaʻi at (808) 246-8300.