Wednesday, August 5, 1998
What ever happened to the driver of the car that hit 11-year-old Katie McKenzie? No charges filed
in McKenzie caseProsecutors have not filed charges against the driver, Honolulu attorney Jerry I. Wilson, because the case rests on facts related to the prescribed high-blood pressure medication Wilson was on when the crash occurred. State law seals patients' medical records.
The Buick Wilson was driving veered across four lanes of morning rush-hour traffic on Bishop Street last August, about a week before McKenzie's 12th birthday. She and her brother, Rory, had taken the bus with their father that morning. They were walking across the courtyard of the downtown Bank of Hawaii building when the car struck McKenzie.
She was in a coma for nearly a month, suffering from broken legs, a fractured skull and a crushed pelvis. While at Queen's Hospital, her spleen and a kidney were removed.
Today McKenzie is doing well, said her mother, Carole. She is going to rehabilitation twice a week at Shriners Hospital in Honolulu. Doctors are unsure whether she will be able to play soccer or paddle with the Lanikai Canoe Club again.
"Her attitude is extremely good and that is the single reason she has done so well," Carole McKenzie said. "But she is alive and that is the most important thing."
McKenzie is growing into her teens and loves going to the mall, despite a cast on her right leg.
Her family is grateful for the continued support from the public and Shriners Hospital. McKenzie will celebrate her 13th birthday Aug. 16.
Her birthday cake will read, "Happy 12th and 13th Birthday, Katie," Carole McKenzie said. "That's one of the things she was disappointed about when she came out of the coma - missing her birthday."
By Michelle Cournoyer, Star-Bulletin
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