KULA, Hawaii — Maui police reported that a grey 2020 Nissan Frontier pickup truck, traveling northbound on Kula Hwy., turned left onto Lower Kula Rd. and collided head-on into a black 2015 Yamaha motorcycle that was traveling southbound on Kula Hwy.

The incident took place at approximately 8:32 p.m. Friday evening on Kula Hwy. at Lower Kula Rd. in Kula, according to a news release.

As a result of the collision, the 63-year-old male operator of the motorcycle was ejected onto the roadway and sustained critical life-threatening injuries. The driver of the pickup truck did not stop and continued traveling west on Lower Kula Rd.

The motorcyclist was taken to the Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition, where he later died.

His identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Police later found the pickup truck at a Wailuku residence, where the driver, John Cho, 76, was arrested for negligent homicide in the first degree and collisions involving death or serious bodily injury. Cho was later released pending further investigation.

Police investigation conducted so far reveals that the operator of the motorcycle was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision and the operator of the pickup truck was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision; pickup truck airbags deployed; and alcohol is a factor in the collision. The involvement of speed and drugs remains under investigation.

This is Maui County’s 16th traffic fatality of 2022, compared to 12 at the same time last year.

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii.