MAKENA — Police are investigating whether speed and fatigue were possible factors in a two-vehicle collision that killed a 64-year-old man Monday morning in Makena, The Maui News reported today.

Patrick Gibson, who died at the scene of the crash, was driving a 1988 Volkswagen van in the Kihei direction when he lost control of the vehicle on Makena Alanui Drive along the Wailea Emerald golf course at 6:19 a.m., police said.

It was still dark when the van went over a 6- to 8-inch curb onto grass along the right side of the road and veered back onto the road, crossing the centerline before colliding with a white Ford Ranger pickup truck heading in the opposite direction, police said. The van spun and overturned, landing in the oncoming lane against the roof and hood of the truck.

The front of the van faced south, with contents including a cooler and mattress spilling out of the vehicle. The roadway was littered with broken glass. White scrape marks on the road indicated the van's path into the truck.

Police said the 56-year-old Kahului man driving the truck was taken by ambulance to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

The crash site was 825 feet south of Makena Road as Makena Alanui Drive curves downhill.

Lt. Bobby Hill, commander of the Traffic Section, said police were investigating the possibility that speed and fatigue may have contributed to the crash.

With a stretch of Makena Alanui Drive between Makena Road and the Makena Surf closed for a few hours while police investigated the collision, a line of cars parked along the road. Some drivers were waiting for the road to reopen so they could get to jobs in Makena. Other cars carried tourists hoping to get to the beach.

Bicyclists and pedestrians also were turned away before the road was reopened at 11:13 a.m.

The traffic death was the 23rd this year on Maui County roads, compared with 21 at the same time last year.

With the holiday season continuing, Hill reminded motorists "to drive safely and drive smart."

"There's really no need to get anywhere that fast," he said. "With the recent bad weather we have had, we need to slow down and drive carefully.

"It's sad anytime you lose a life."

Hill said people who consume alcohol should make arrangements to ride with a designated non-drinking driver.

For more Maui news, visit www.mauinews.com.