Riana Lee, a 33-year-old resident of Makawao, has tragically passed away following a severe collision with a motor vehicle in Kahului on Sunday afternoon.
According to initial reports from authorities, the incident transpired shortly before 5:20 p.m. at the junction of Wahinepio Avenue and Keopuolani Parkway. A female driver, aged 36 and operating a 2023 Kia Soul, was performing a left turn onto Wahinepio Avenue when Lee, traveling on her 2023 Yamaha YZF-R3 motorcycle, collided with the front part of the car.
Lee was thrown from her motorcycle during the impact and suffered critical injuries as a result. She was transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center in a seriously injured condition. Regrettably, medical staff were unable to save her life, and she succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. A significant contributing factor cited by police was the lack of a helmet.
The driver of the Kia Soul and the passenger, a woman in her 50s, incurred only minor injuries during the collision. Their airbags did not inflate, but they were attended to on the scene and subsequently released without further treatment.
The Maui Police Department has indicated that a thorough investigation is currently underway into the circumstances surrounding the accident. No evidence has been found to implicate excessive speed, alcohol impairment, or drug influence thus far.
This event represents the thirteenth traffic fatality in Maui County for the current year, according to official records. For comparison, there were only eight fatalities during the same period last year. Statewide in Hawaii, the total number of traffic-related deaths is reported to be seventy-one for the year, whereas at this time last year, the figure stood at forty-eight.
