Fatal crash followed traffic crimes hearing
POSTED: Saturday, March 20, 2010
The 33-year-old Waimanalo woman involved in a fatal pickup truck accident Wednesday was in a Kaneohe court earlier that day for traffic crimes, and her license was suspended.
Verna Lee Kaleiwohi was arrested for investigation of negligent homicide Wednesday night when a 13-year-old boy riding in the bed of a pickup truck was fatally injured.
Earlier, she was in court for hitting an unattended vehicle and/or property with her car, driving with a learner's permit without a licensed driver present, and driving without insurance, according to state court records.
Kaleiwohi asked the court to allow her $225 fine be converted to community service, court records show.
The judge granted her request and ordered her to perform 75 hours of community service and suspended her license for three months, according to a KHON-TV news video of the court hearing, which also showed her admitting she still did not have insurance.
The boy, who was Kaleiwohi's relative, was riding in the bed of the pickup truck with her 12-year-old son when the truck was struck by a car on Kalanianaole Highway just outside the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility in Kailua.
Police initially thought Kaleiwohi was driving in the right lane and was attempting a U-turn by crossing over the left lane when the truck was hit.
However, investigators later found that the truck had been stuck in the mud on the right shoulder facing Waimanalo. When the truck's tires gained traction, the truck lurched forward onto the highway and was hit by a Waimanalo-bound car, police said.
On Feb. 10, 2008, Kaleiwohi was also cited for driving without a valid driver's license and driving without insurance, the state court docket report shows. She was also found not to have a required child's booster seat.