Speed is a likely factor in fatal Maui crash

Edwin Bayle, 18, was killed when his truck hit a utility pole

WAILUKU » An 18-year-old high school student might have been speeding when he lost control of a pickup truck that crashed into a utility pole on the Valley Isle, Maui police Sgt. Barry Aoki said.

The pickup truck was traveling on Makani Road in Makawao headed toward Pukalani when it went onto the shoulder of the road at about 10 p.m. Saturday, shearing the pole and killing Edwin J. Bayle, a junior at King Kekaulike High School.

Two other passengers riding on the truck reported no injuries.

Aoki said the speed limit was 30 mph, and the shearing of the utility pole indicated the truck might have going faster than the posted limit.

He said an investigation was continuing into the accident.

It was the third motor vehicle death this year, compared with one for the same period last year.

Bayle, who played guard on the school's basketball team, was a "young, warm person" who got along with a variety of people, said his coach Richard Carosso.

"He always had a smile."

Carosso said Bayle, who had emigrated from the Philippines several years ago, planned to join the U.S. Army after his graduation and wanted to become a police officer like one of his brothers.

"It was a tragic loss for a really, really good, caring family," Carosso said.

Funeral arrangements are being made through Ballard Mortuary.