Posted on: Friday, June 29, 2001

Police rule out racing in fatal H-1 crash

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

An 18-year-old Kalani High graduate killed in a high-speed crash on the H-1 Freeway in Wai'alae on June 6 was not racing when he lost control of his car, a lead police vehicular homicide investigator said yesterday.

"If not for an eyewitness statement, our assumption would be racing was a factor," said Sgt. John Agno.

As a result, police have cleared the driver of a Volkswagen Jetta that was on the scene when Logan Fujimoto's 1993 Acura Integra flipped off a freeway overpass near Wai'alae Avenue.

A Papakolea man, who witnessed the crash, answered a CrimeStoppers request for information about the crash. Police have been able to verify his statements, Agno said.

The witness told police he saw everything but left the crash scene without giving a statement because no one asked him for one, Agno said.

"He told us there were no other vehicles on the freeway at the time of the collision so obviously, (Fujimoto) wasn't racing with anybody," Agno said. "The witness saw the car pass him and saw the crash."

Fujimoto's car was traveling at "close to 100 miles per hour" when it hit the guardrail.

The registered owner and driver of the Jetta contacted police a day or two after the crash, Agno said.

"We were able to verify that he wasn't involved, wasn't even on the freeway at the time of the crash," he said.