Chain reaction A chain reaction of freeway crashes on slick roads involving 19 vehicles this morning turned the H-1 freeway into a parking lot just before 8 a.m.
crashes slow H-1
2 school buses are among 19
vehicles involved in collisionsBy Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.comTwo school buses carrying about 60 children were among the vehicles involved in the crashes just before the Waimalu off-ramp in the townbound lanes. The buses apparently skidded off the road to avoid hitting other vehicles, fire department Capt. Albert Fernandez said.
There no serious injuries.
Fernandez said it appeared a motorcycle slid under a truck, setting up the other collisions as vehicles tried to avoid the crash.
"I think one accident caused the others," he said.
Pearl City police said the motorcycle rider walked away from the crash.
All motorists were allowed to use the Ziplane to help clear the congestion. All lanes were re-opened just after 9 a.m.
On the Big Island, intermittent downpours just north of Hilo caused several landslides on the Hawaii Belt Road yesterday, blocking traffic for hours.
The rains prompted the weather service to issue a flood watch for all islands but Kauai until 4 p.m. this afternoon. The flooding could occur because of heavy moisture that was continuing to move over the islands from the southeast.
At daybreak today, highway crews on the Big Island still were cleaning the last of the debris so travel could be restored from one lane to two lanes, said county Civil Defense director Bill Davis.
The rains were intermittent, said Davis' assistant Pat Arthur. "When it came on, it absolutely flooded and sheeted," she said.
The first problem was a landslide blocking the Belt Road at Honomu 12 miles north of Hilo about 4 p.m. yesterday.
People in about 40 cars were sent to an emergency shelter at Kulaimano Community Center until 11 p.m. when traffic was restored briefly.
During the night, officials were able to open an alternate route using a gravel road through former cane fields, but only cars were allowed to use it. Heavier vehicles had to wait throughout the night.
On Oahu this morning, the heaviest rain was in the Koolau mountains, primarily around the Pali and Likelike Highways, which had 2 to 3.5 inches of rain for the past 24 hours ending at 8 a.m., most of it falling between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m., according to lead forecaster Bob Farrell.
The rains may have been a factor when a Honolulu-bound truck ran off the Likelike Highway and crashed into a ditch after the Wilson Tunnel at about 4:30 a.m. The driver was not seriously injured.
Reporters Treena Shapiro and Nelson Daranciang contributed to this story.