Car crash kills
teen, hurts three
in Kapolei

Police say the woman, 18,
was a passenger in a car that
may have been racing

By Jaymes K. Song
Star-Bulletin

A high-speed crash near the Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park in Kapolei killed one teen and sent three others to the hospital this morning, police said.

All are from the Nanakuli area.

Killed was an 18-year-old woman in the passenger seat of a green Toyota Tercel that crashed into a guardrail near the intersection of Farrington Highway and Kalaeloa Boulevard at about 3:30 a.m.

Police said the car was overtaking a truck when the driver lost control, hit three highway signs, flipped and slammed into the guardrail, said traffic investigator David Alices. The crash hurled the front bumper and other parts 40 feet from the impact site.

Police are investigating whether the Toyota was racing with another car. Alcohol is not believed to be involved.

The three injured male teens -- the 17-year-old driver and backseat passengers, 16 and 17 -- were taken to Queen's Hospital, where they were reported in fair condition.

The Campbell Industrial Park exit off the H-1 Freeway was blocked off for three hours while police investigated the crash. The scene was cleared before it affected morning traffic.

Many teens have been killed or hurt in auto accidents this year.

Aug. 10: An early-morning crash in Ewa left three teen-age boys hospitalized.

June 9: Four teen-age girls were critically injured in a crash in Wailuku, Maui.

March 25: A 17-year-old boy died and eight others were injured when two cars racing on Moanalua Freeway crashed.

Jan. 17: Two teen-age students at Chaminade University were killed in a crash near Wahiawa.

Jan. 1: Two teens were killed in Wailea when the driver lost control of his car.