2 identified in fatal Lahaina collision

Maui police have identified two people who died in a fatal collision Wednesday in Lahaina.

The victims of the Kia Soul that was involved have been identified as Lui Williams, 81, and Lena Williams, 75, of Lahaina.

The identity of the driver of the Ford Escape that was involved in the collision is being withheld pending positive identification.

Speed is believed to have played a role in the head-on crash early Wednesday morning.

Maui police said the collision occurred around 3:08 a.m. on Honoapiilani Highway about 341 feet south of Kikowaena Way in Lahaina, across from the shoreline Wahikuli Wayside Park.

A preliminary investigation revealed that a gold 2007 Ford Escape was traveling north on the highway at a “high rate of speed,” according to police, when it crossed the center line and collided with a southbound gray 2016 Kia Soul, leaving both vehicles mangled and a stretch of debris strewn on the roadway.

The Ford Escape caught fire and was engulfed in flames. The Maui Fire Department quickly arrived and extinguished the fire. All three people involved were pronounced dead at the scene.