One dead, one seriously injured in South Kauai crash

A predawn crash on Maluhia Road left Brandon Nakaahiki dead and a 33-year-old Kōloa woman seriously injured after a northbound Honda crossed the center line on a curve and hit a southbound Toyota SUV.

Kaua‘i police said the collision happened at about 4:10 a.m. on March 20, 2026, in South Kauai. Nakaahiki, 35, a Kaua‘i resident with no permanent address, was driving the 2008 Honda sedan when it drifted across the center line and struck the Toyota, a 2022 sport utility vehicle driven by a 70-year-old woman from Kapa‘a. The Toyota driver did not report injuries.

The Honda’s front-seat passenger, a 33-year-old woman from Kōloa, was taken by medics to Wilcox Medical Center and later transferred to The Queen’s Medical Center on O‘ahu for additional treatment. Police said Nakaahiki suffered fatal injuries at the scene.

Investigators said speed and weather conditions may have been contributing factors. Toxicology results were still pending to determine whether impairment played a role. The Kaua‘i Police Department’s Traffic Safety Section handled the on-scene investigation, and Maluhia Road was closed in both directions for about 2 hours and 45 minutes while officers worked the crash site.

The fatality marked Kaua‘i’s second traffic death of 2026, a grim reminder of how quickly a single curve and a few seconds of lost control can turn deadly on a narrow South Shore roadway. Maluhia Road, which threads through one of the island’s most heavily traveled scenic and residential corridors, has long demanded careful driving, especially in the dark hours before sunrise when visibility is limited and road conditions can shift fast.

Police are asking anyone who saw the collision to contact Officer Henshaw at (808) 241-1616. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers Kaua‘i by phone at (808) 246-8300, through the Crime Stoppers Kaua‘i website, or through the P3 Tips Mobile App. The Traffic Safety Unit, which investigates all serious and fatal injury collisions on Kaua‘i, will continue to examine the circumstances that led to the crash.