Waikiki driver
has past citationsA man who allegedly killed
a woman had his license revoked
after a 1997 DUI case
The driver who allegedly killed a woman after he plowed into a group of Waikiki pedestrians on Wednesday had his driver's license revoked in 1998, police said.
Joseph Puuohau Jr., 62, was driving a 2004 Ford pickup truck that was rented from Enterprise Rent-A-Car when it jumped the curb near the Sheraton Moana Surfrider along Kalakaua Avenue and plowed along the sidewalk, killing a Japanese tourist and injuring six other pedestrians.
Police said Puuohau was not one of the registered drivers on the rental agreement with Enterprise, and that the vehicle had been rented by his son, Jared.
Puuohau also was in an accident when a car broadsided his son's car near Maunalei and 12th avenues in Kaimuki on April 28.
He was cited for driving with a revoked or suspended license, for which he was supposed to go to court this week.
According to police records, Puuohau was arrested near Kapiolani Boulevard and Pensacola Street for driving under the influence on Oct. 13, 1997, went to trial and was found guilty in 1998. His license was revoked at that time, according to police.
Witnesses and police said it appears that Puuohau fell unconscious or was asleep at the wheel as he was driving along Kalakaua Wednesday afternoon after 4:15 p.m.
Police said he shot across four traffic lanes, clipped a car from behind, climbed onto the curb and bore down the sidewalk, hitting a trash receptacle, a group of pedestrians, several tourist brochure stands and a fire hydrant. He sideswiped a police car, hit another trash container and stopped just before the Waikiki Police Substation.
The collision killed Hikari Ishiyama, 24, who had been married days earlier and was honeymooning in Waikiki. Officials with the city Medical Examiner's Office said Ishiyama died from "multiple blunt force injuries."
Her husband , 30-year-old Hiroyuki Ishiyama, received a blow to the head, which required four stitches. He has been released from the Queen's Medical Center. The couple are from Kasatsu, Shiga prefecture, Japan.
A second Japanese couple also was injured in the crash. A 30-year-old woman remains in stable condition at Straub Clinic & Hospital while her husband, 35, is in fair condition at Queen's. According to officials with the Visitor Assistance Program, the woman suffered a broken nose and cheekbone, while her husband suffered broken bones to his chest and buttocks.
A 30-year-old woman from California was released from Straub, while another California visitor, a 41-year old male who lost toes after being struck by a brochure stand, was treated and released from Queen's. Another 27-year-old female tourist was treated and released from Queen's. A father and son also were taken to Straub by ambulance, but police said yesterday that they were not injured.
HPD traffic investigators have opened up a negligent homicide case but have not yet questioned Puuohau because he is still hospitalized at Queen's, where he had been taken for treatment of heart complications.
Police said Puuohau was in guarded to fair condition yesterday afternoon.