RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Friends and family set up a flower memorial on Kamehameha Highway in Punaluu where Delphine Haina, 28, who was pregnant with her third child, died.
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Woman's death hits family hard
Delphine Haina dies of head injuries after jumping or being ejected from a truck
Twin sisters Delphine and Desiree Haina always celebrated their birthday together.
But today, Desiree will be at their 29th-birthday party without her sister.
"They were always together," said their mother, Debra Haina.
Delphine Haina, a Nanakuli resident, died Saturday at the Queen's Medical Center after she was either ejected or jumped out of a moving pickup truck near Punaluu on Friday. A mother of two boys, Kealo, 9, and Dustin, 4, she was four months pregnant with her third child at the time of the incident.
At about 8:35 p.m. Friday, Haina was in a blue 2005 Chevrolet pickup truck driven by her boyfriend, arguing with him as they traveled on Kamehameha Highway near Punaluu, police said. Later, she was observed on the ground near Pat's at Punaluu after she was ejected or had jumped from the vehicle.
She was transported to Kahuku Hospital in "extremely critical condition" and flown to Queen's. She was pronounced dead at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, Emergency Medical Services Department spokesman Bryan Cheplic said.
An autopsy performed on Haina yesterday determined that she died from severe head injuries "due to blunt force injuries." The cause of her injuries and manner of death is pending investigation.
Delphine, a graduate of Mililani High School, worked as a call center representative for the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union.
Earlier, she worked part time as a hula dancer at Paradise Cove while she worked at American Savings Bank.
Haina also enjoyed singing with her sister, said her mother, adding that a company had expressed interest in recording them when they were younger. "They used to sing and make up songs," she said.
Every Sunday, Haina and her boyfriend of 15 months regularly went to church at Word of Life in Kakaako.
She worked at the credit union's call center, based at Restaurant Row in Kakaako, for less than six months. She was extremely well liked by her co-workers and will be missed, said John Reese, the credit union's vice president of corporate development.
Haina's mother visited the scene of the incident on Sunday and said she has a lot of unanswered questions.
"Her injuries were so severe, it was unbelievable," she said, adding that she could barely recognize her daughter at the hospital because she was so swollen.
She said she is also worried about Desiree, saying she has barely slept since her twin sister's death. When everybody left the room after Delphine died, Desiree stayed and sang to her.
"They did a lot together. They were alike in so many ways," she said, noting that both were pregnant at the same time for their first two children.