Two men are in critical condition following an early morning crash Sunday on notoriously treacherous Kaukonahua Road.

According to police, the two men were traveling north in a two-door Pontiac when the driver, a 22-year-old Mililani man, lost control of the vehicle.

The car veered onto the east shoulder, knocked down a wooded telephone pole and continued northward until it hit and knocked down a second pole. Both the driver and his passenger, a 22-year-old Schofield Barracks man, were ejected from the  car onto a grassy shoulder. The car came to rest at a concrete culvert.

Both men were transported to the Queen’s Medical Center. The driver was originally reported to be in serious condition but was later downgraded to critical. 

The crash happened around 2:30 a.m.

Police temporarily closed Kaukonahua Road from Kamananui Road to Wilikina Drive.

Police said speed and alcohol may have been factors in the crash. It is unknown if the two men were wearing seatbelts.