MAILI, Hawaii (KHON2) — A multi-car collision early Friday, Nov. 15 in West Oahu left one man in critical condition and two others injured. The pile-up snarled traffic for hours. Lawmakers said it’s exactly why they need to open emergency access roads permanently.
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Farrington Highway traffic was bumper-to-bumper for miles as thousands of West side residents started their Friday. The gridlock was due to a seven-car accident near the 7-Eleven in Nanakuli. The severity of the crash prevented police from clearing it for hours to investigate.
Critical injuries in Nanakuli crash
“I got on the road about 6:15 a.m. and I knew immediately when I got out of my house, that there was an accident because the traffic was almost backed up all the way to where I live,” Honolulu City Councilmember Andria Tupola explained.
So she sprang into action to get Paakea Road, one of several emergency bypass roads, open to help the flow of traffic.