Kihei woman dies in overnight vehicle crash

LAHAINA, MAUI (HawaiiNewsNow) - A Maui woman died early Saturday when the vehicle she was riding in went out of control and crashed into a guardrail in Lahaina.

Police identified the woman as 26-year-old Taryn Kiyota of Kihei. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Maui police said the crash happened at 12:45 a.m. on the Lahaina Bypass about one and-a-half miles south of Lahainaluna Road.

According to investigators, a 24-year-old Kihei man was driving a 2009 Toyota southbound on the Lahaina Bypass when he lost control. The vehicle traveled off the roadway onto the makai grassy shoulder. The Toyota was still out of control when it spun back onto the roadway and into a guardrail.

Police said Kiyota was wearing a seat belt. The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was not injured. The airbags deployed in the crash.

Officers arrested the driver for manslaughter and then released pending further investigation. Speed and alcohol were factors in the crash, but it is unknown yet whether drugs were involved.

Kiyota's death is Maui's 18th traffic fatality of the year so far, compared to eleven deaths at the same time last year.

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