All-State athlete
dies in car crash

Kapolei High School football standout Ikaika Tan was the 17-year-old driver killed in a one-car accident late yesterday morning on Farrington Highway, friends and school staff confirmed.

Ikaika Tan: The Kapolei High School senior was also the father of an infant daughter

Police said the driver, whom they did not identify, was speeding and lost control of his car near Ko Olina at 11:41 a.m. The driver suffered multiple body and head injuries and was taken by ambulance to St. Francis West Medical Center in critical condition, police said.

He was transported by helicopter to the Queen's Medical Center, where he died, becoming Oahu's first traffic fatality of the year.

Tan, a senior and the father of a 1-month-old daughter named Riley, had received honorable mention as a cornerback on the Star-Bulletin's All-State team, published Sunday. He had told the Star-Bulletin he planned to enroll at the University of Hawaii and try out for the football team.

School officials and classmates remembered Tan's infectious smile and congenial personality.

"He always gives 100 percent, works hard but doesn't forget it's all for fun," said Elden Esmeralda, Kapolei's athletic director. "He was always smiling, always courteous. That's something you don't see in a lot of kids these days."

Austi Paris, a Kapolei softball player, added: "He was funny. We were always teasing each other. After he had his baby, I started calling him 'daddy.'"

Jerrell Taituave, a Kapolei volleyball and basketball player, said she would "always remember his smile. It's, like, contagious. ... He was a good guy. We loved him."

Police said the driver of a blue 1995 two-door Honda Prelude was speeding while traveling west in the right lane of Farrington Highway. Just past Aliinui Drive, the driver moved into the left lane to pass another vehicle, then crossed onto the median and lost control of the car, police said. The car crossed back into the right lane and hit the guardrail, ending up on the highway shoulder.

"Speed was a factor in the collision," said Sgt. John Agno. The driver was wearing a seat belt, police said.