Kokua Line
June Watanabe
Driver will be
billed for crash damageQuestion: What was the cause of the vehicle accident at the mauka corner of Farrington Highway and Kealanani Avenue in Kapolei last month -- drinking, excessive speed, running a red light and/or all of the above? The car knocked over a traffic light and a tree and impacted on a street light. The traffic light and the street light have been repaired. Will the individual(s) responsible for the accident be required to replace the destroyed tree?
Answer: Alcohol was determined not to be a factor in the 4 a.m. March 18 accident, according to the Honolulu Police Department.
However, it couldn't be determined whether speed was a factor, said HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu.
The driver fled the scene but was subsequently arrested. It was then discovered that he was wanted on an outstanding warrant for an undisclosed charge and for having no driver's license.
He is responsible for the damage he caused to the traffic light, street pole and tree, but it may be iffy if the city will be able to make him pay up. According to HPD, the driver also had no car insurance.
The city will bill anyone found responsible for causing damage to city property.
For example, for the fiscal years 2000-2002, the Department of Budget & Fiscal Services billed people $1,385,217 for damage caused by traffic accidents.
It was able to collect $1,217,709.
The department's Revenue Collection Section bills for any damages to street lights, guardrails, street signs and markings maintained by the Department of Facility Maintenance and to traffic signals maintained by the Department of Transportation Services.
Meanwhile, the Department of Parks & Recreation bills for any damage caused by vehicles running into city trees.
The reimbursement value is calculated by considering the value of the tree and the labor required in removing the damaged tree, according to Stanley Oka, administrator for the department's Division of Urban Forestry.
For fiscal year 2002, the Parks Department billed $5,275 and collected $3,848. To date this year, $2,283 had been billed, but nothing had been collected.
Auwe
To the young woman driving a Jeep on Kaneohe Bay Drive toward Kailua at 1:15 p.m. April 3. You were so close that I couldn't see the bottom of your Jeep in my rearview mirror. You were talking on a cell phone with one hand, then took your other hand from the steering wheel and clapped it to your forehead while bending your head back. No hands on the steering wheel, tailgating and using a cell phone -- what were you thinking? -- Concerned Driver
Mahalo
To the mystery man at Mui Kwai's restaurant in Kaneohe last Saturday evening. When we requested the check, the waitress said that the gentleman sitting in the booth behind us had paid for our entire meal. We never even noticed him, but in our quandary as to "why," we believe it may be one of those amazing "random acts of kindness." It certainly was a warm expression of aloha! -- Four Senior Citizens
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