Vehicle in crash
illegally modified

The car suspected of causing
Sunday's fatal collision did not
have a required state permit

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By Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.com

The 1999 Honda Prelude involved in Sunday's fatal collision on the H-1 freeway had been modified with high-performance parts that allowed it to go faster, but it did not have a required state permit, according to Honolulu police traffic investigator Sgt. David Talon.

The car was equipped with high-performance intake and exhaust manifolds, tires and rims, Talon said.

Replacing stock intake and exhaust manifolds with high-performance ones can add between 5 and 30 horsepower to a car engine's capability and costs between $250 and $1,000, said Linus Sumbad, a salesman at Atomic Performance automotive parts store.

Police estimate the Honda was traveling about 100 mph when it slammed into the concrete median and then crashed into the rear of a van traveling Koko Head-bound on the freeway near the 6th Avenue offramp.

The driver of the Honda Prelude, Nicholas Tudisco, 18, was not injured.

Police arrested him for negligent homicide, then released him pending further investigation. They believe he was racing with another car before the crash.

Tudisco's parents are the registered owners of the Honda. Their lawyer said they had no idea the car's engine had been modified. "Not a clue," said Michael Green, Tudisco's attorney.

Elizabeth Kekoa, 58, who was sitting in the van's front passenger seat, was killed in the accident. Her mother, Rose Davis, 79, who was sitting in a rear passenger seat, is in critical condition at Queen's Medical Center. Kekoa's husband, Wally, 68, who was driving the van, was released from Queen's yesterday.

Not all modifications that result in a change to a vehicle's factory specifications require a reconstruction vehicle permit, said David Mau, assistant licensing administrator of the city's Motor Vehicle Division.

But he recommends having all modifications undergo inspection.

"Any modification at all, come in," Mau said.

The modifications can include changes to the vehicle's rims, tires, fuel delivery, exhaust, suspension, transmission and steering systems.

The city inspected 2,517 vehicles for reconstruction permits between July 1, 2000, and June 30, 2001 -- most, said Mau, had failed their annual safety inspection -- and issued 1,753 permits. A permit costs $15.

In that same period, police issued 2,750 tickets for failure to have a reconstruction vehicle permit. The ticket costs $45.