Driver dies, passenger critically injured in Lihue crash

A 24-year-old Kaua‘i man died and his passenger was critically injured after a Jeep Wrangler crashed, overturned and threw both occupants from the vehicle at one of Līhue’s busiest intersections.

Kaua‘i police said the single-vehicle crash happened at about 3:10 a.m. on May 2 at Kaumuali‘i Highway and Kalepa Street. The 2003 Jeep Wrangler was headed east when it struck a cement curb, hit two traffic signal poles and flipped over. Both people inside were ejected and rushed to Wilcox Medical Center.

The driver was identified as Caden Garon of Kaua‘i. He died from injuries suffered in the crash. The passenger was later taken to The Queen’s Medical Center in critical condition.

County officials said the collision shut down Kaumuali‘i Highway for about an hour and a half while the Kaua‘i Police Department’s Traffic Safety Section investigated the scene. Even a short closure on that stretch can snarl the island’s commercial core, where residents, workers and visitors depend on the corridor to move through Līhue.

The crash was Kaua‘i’s first traffic fatality of 2026, a grim marker for a county that continues to lean on speed enforcement and OVUI checkpoints in an effort to reduce the frequency and severity of collisions. The Kaua‘i Police Department Traffic Safety Unit says its central mission is to gain voluntary compliance with traffic laws and prevent crashes before they turn deadly.

Investigators said speed appeared to be a contributing factor. Toxicology results are still pending, and police have not said whether impairment played a role. That means the case remains open as officers work to reconstruct the final moments before the Jeep struck the curb and signal poles.

Police are asking witnesses to come forward. Anyone with information can contact Officer Tyler Henshaw at 808-241-1616. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers Kaua‘i by phone, through a web tip, or through the P3 Tips app.

The crash underscores how fast a late-night or early-morning drive can turn lethal on a major island road. On Kaumuali‘i Highway, one violent impact was enough to kill a young driver, leave a passenger fighting for life and tie up a key Līhue intersection before sunrise.