Waimanalo man accused
of negligent homicide

Police say the man, 45, may have run a
red light, causing him to crash into a van,
killing a male passenger

By Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin

A Waimanalo man was arrested for negligent homicide following an early morning two-car accident today in which one person died.

Police said the 45-year-old man was driving a white 1973 Volkswagen van with three passengers which apparently ran a red light at Ulukahiki Street at Castle Hospital at 12:45 a.m.

The van, which was leaving the hospital grounds, hit a 1989 blue Chevrolet pickup truck in the center lane of Kalanianaole Highway, heading toward Kailua.

The impact caused the van to be completely turned around, and the truck pushed it to the other side of the highway, where it hit an electrical box.

Police said the driver of the van, which was heading toward Waimanalo, may have been drinking.

He was treated for minor injuries at Castle and released prior to his arrest.

One of the passengers in the van, a man in his late 30s or early 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene, the result of massive head injuries, according to police.

The driver of the pickup truck, a 22-year-old Kailua man, was treated at St. Francis Hospital and released.

One of his three passengers, a 19-year-old male, was sitting in the front seat of the truck.

An 18-year-old male was in the back seat of the cab, and another male, 18, was riding in the truck's bed.

Two men, 31 and 47, were reported in fair condition at Queen's Hospital following the accident, and were believed to be passengers in the van.

One man is in stable condition at Kaiser Hospital. Initial reports did not clarify which vehicle he was riding in.

The accident brings Oahu's traffic fatality count to 48 this year, compared to 56 for the same period a year ago.

Kailua Road was closed until 5:30 this morning.