Car crashes kill 2, injure 3

A Waianae man and a Kaneohe woman who died in crashes were not strapped in

One woman and a man died and three people were injured in two traffic accidents early yesterday and late Wednesday night, police said.

The first accident happened at about 10:55 p.m. Wednesday on Farrington Highway, when a black 1995 Ford Ranger pickup truck driven by 33-year-old Felix Scanlan of Waianae crossed a solid double yellow line, crashing head-on with a blue 1995 Chevrolet sport utility vehicle carrying three people, police said.

The impact ejected Scanlan, who was not wearing a seat belt, from his truck, police said. He was taken to Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center in extremely critical condition and later died, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city Emergency Medical Services Department.

A Waianae woman who was driving the SUV and her front-seat male passenger, both 45 years old, were taken to the Queen's Medical Center in serious but stable condition, Cheplic said. A 16-year-old male who was lying down on the back seat of the SUV was also taken to Queen's but with only minor injuries.

Meanwhile, on Windward Oahu, 47-year-old Colleen Young of Kaneohe was killed early yesterday morning after she apparently lost control of her white Ford Escort and hit a rock wall while driving on Kamehameha Highway, police said.

The accident happened at 5:38 a.m. about 1.9 miles north of Johnson Road near Kualoa Regional Beach Park, police said. The Honolulu Fire Department removed Young from the wreckage, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said it appeared Young was not wearing a seat belt.

The two accidents raised this year's number of traffic-related fatalities on Oahu to 86, compared with 69 at the same time last year, police said.