A 58-year-old man suffered critical head injuries yesterday morning when he was thrown from the bed of a pickup truck near Kahuku Elementary School.

Police said the man was one of two people riding in the bed of a Ford F-150 pickup traveling south on Pualalea Street about 8:30 a.m.

A Mazda Miata driven by a 22-year-old Kahuku man stopped at a stop sign on Huehu Street before turning left onto Pualalea Street, police said. The driver of the truck swerved to avoid the Miata and the 58-year-old fell out of the truck bed onto the roadway, suffering head injuries, police said.

The man was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition, police said.

Police said speeding, drugs or alcohol did not appears to be factors in the accident.