Honolulu, HI — July 20, 2025, one person was killed and another was injured in a truck accident at about 3:45 on Interstate H-1/Lunalilo Freeway.

Authorities said an eastbound sedan collided with a semi-truck in the westbound lanes of the highway near the Punahou Street overpass.

The sedan driver, a 25-year-old woman whose name has not been made public yet, died after being transported to a local trauma center, according to authorities.

The truck driver, a 77-year-old man, was hospitalized with a shoulder injury, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Makiki area crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear about a head-on collision between a sedan and a semi-truck on the freeway, the first question that comes to mind is: How does something like that even happen? After all, highways are divided for a reason. The reported fact that the crash occurred in the westbound lanes, while the sedan was heading eastbound, raises serious questions about how the two vehicles came to occupy the same stretch of road at the same time.

But we’re missing some key details. Was the sedan driving the wrong way on the freeway? Or did the truck somehow enter the eastbound lanes, possibly during a turn, a lane change or after losing control? Right now, authorities haven’t clarified that, and that gap in the story leaves a lot of room for speculation. Getting to the truth means digging into hard evidence.

In cases like this, one of the first places I look is the truck’s engine control module (ECM), essentially the vehicle’s black box. It can reveal everything from the truck’s speed to when and how hard the brakes were applied. If investigators can match that up with dash cam footage or in-cab camera data, we start to get a much clearer picture of what the truck driver saw and did in those final moments.

On top of that, the sedan driver’s maneuver is unexplained. We don’t know whether she crossed the center divide intentionally, accidentally or was possibly forced into the opposing lanes by some other factor, like avoiding a hazard, experiencing a mechanical failure or being hit from behind. Those are all live possibilities unless and until investigators rule them out.

Ultimately, what matters here isn't guesswork but evidence: black box data, camera footage, physical damage, call records and the driver’s history. Without those, the public is left in the dark, and those affected are left without accountability.

Key Takeaways:

• The collision occurred in the westbound lanes, but the sedan was reportedly traveling eastbound, raising immediate questions about which vehicle entered the opposing lanes.
• There’s no public information yet on how or why the vehicles ended up in a head-on crash, which makes black box and dash cam evidence crucial.
• A full investigation should include ECM data, in-cab camera footage and both drivers’ records to determine who was where and why.
• Without all the evidence, no one can say with certainty who’s at fault, and it’s premature to assume anything before that evidence comes to light.