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Maui police suspect alcohol as a contributing factor in a Thursday night wreck on the Hana Highway that killed a 34-year-old man from Makawao.
On Saturday, police identified the man as Douglas Roman.
According to Maui police, a 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan was headed toward Haiku at approximately 10:18 p.m. when the driver failed to negotiate a turn at Maliko Gulch east of Maliko Bay Road in Paia. The compact SUV then crossed over into the opposing lane of traffic and collided with a 2002 Toyota Tacoma that was being driven by Roman and going in the other direction.
Police said the collision caused the Tacoma to go airborne and collide with a guardrail before coming to a rest on its roof. Roman was partially ejected and suffered fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police reported that the driver of the Tiguan -- a 47-year-old Haiku man -- and his 40-year-old female passenger were both wearing their seat belts at the time of the collision.
According to police, based on the preliminary investigation, Roman was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision, and alcohol is suspected as a contributing factor in the collision. The involvement of speed is pending as the investigation is still ongoing.
This is Maui County's sixth traffic fatality of 2025, compared to two at the same time last year.