JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Timothy Nakatani, 16, was one of four boys hit Tuesday afternoon by a car that crashed into a hedge fronting Kukui Tower.

Teenager hit by car says he’s wary of the outdoors

After being hit by a car with three other boys, Timothy Nakatani said he has a whole new view of walking near the road.

"I'm kind of scared now to go outside," said the 16-year-old, still in a leg brace. "I don't know if another car's going to bang me up or something again."

Nakatani was one of four boys struck by a Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday. All four have recovered. Nakatani had some bruises and torn ligaments, but he said yesterday that otherwise he's feeling fine.

At 4:19 p.m., a Mercedes-Benz traveling south on Nuuanu Avenue collided with an oncoming Toyota driven by a woman attempting a left turn onto Kukui Street.

After the collision, the Mercedes swerved, went onto a sidewalk and stopped in a hedge just a few feet from a bus stop, hitting the four boys.

"I heard a loud bang, and then the car was already there in front of us," said Nakatani, who was looking for lizards with three boys, ages 11, 10 and 8.

His 39-year-old father, David Nakatani, thought it was a joke when he got the call about the accident. His other son called in sounding very "calm and collected."

"I said, 'Son, don't joke around like that,' " he said. Then he heard the sirens, and rushed down.

"My heart just dropped," he said. "But I'm glad everyone was fine."

All four boys are residents of the Nuuanu area. Timothy Nakatani, a Farrington High School student, said he's glad to see the other boys are safe too.

"We were all just talking about how it was gonna be worse," he said.

David Nakatani said there is too much speeding in the area, known for many pedestrian accidents. No arrests have been made in the case.

"Especially around that time, it's just very heavy traffic and very busy," he said. "People, you need to slow down and pay attention a lot more."