A 22-year-old man is fighting for his life after a single-vehicle crash sent his car airborne into the median of the H-2 Freeway in Waipio early Sunday morning. The man was driving northbound when his vehicle lost its rear driver's-side tire, causing him to lose control, veer off the roadway, and strike both the concrete and grassy median before the car became airborne and came to rest there.
According to Hawaii News Now, the crash happened at about 5:55 a.m. as the man was traveling northbound on the H-2 Freeway. The outlet reports that after losing the tire, the driver lost control, traveled off the roadway, struck the concrete median, then the grassy median, before the vehicle went airborne and came to a final rest within the median itself.
Emergency Medical Services transported the man to an area hospital in critical condition, the report states. He was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision, a detail that may have played a role in his survival given the severity of the impact described by responding officers.
What Investigators Have Ruled Out So Far
Police said speed does not appear to be a contributing factor in the collision at this time, per the same account. Whether drugs or alcohol played a role remains unknown, and the investigation into exactly why the tire separated from the vehicle is still ongoing.
This is not the first time a Waipio-area stretch of the H-2 has seen a driver critically hurt in a solo crash. Back in July 2022, a 23-year-old man was critically injured in an early-morning single-vehicle crash on the northbound H-2 near the Ka Uka Boulevard offramp, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. In that incident, police said the driver veered right onto a grassy shoulder and a ditch before striking a guardrail.
Other Recent Incidents Along the Corridor
The H-2 corridor near Waipio has seen other serious incidents in recent months. On Oct. 31, a fatal single-motorcycle crash closed the northbound freeway near Meheula Parkway around 1:50 p.m., with the motorcyclist later identified as 23-year-old Justice D. Maddox of Wahiawa, Hawaii News Now reported separately. Earlier, a two-car collision on the H-2 near Waipio sent nine people to the hospital on a Saturday afternoon, according to KITV.
No further details on the 22-year-old man's identity or condition have been released as of this report. Police have not announced any updates on the cause of the tire failure or the broader investigation into Sunday's crash.
