Truck driver arrested after newspaper carrier killed
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
Police arrested the driver of a pickup truck that struck and killed a 43-year-old newspaper delivery woman today in Nanakuli.
The 33-year-old woman driver, who has no permanent local address, was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide and other traffic related violations, police said. She was released pending further investigation from the Waianae police substation today.
Gaylene Lewis, of Nanakuli, was standing or walking on the west edge of Nanakuli Avenue delivering The Advertiser when a 1977 Chevrolet custom deluxe pickup truck crossed the center line and struck her just before 3:43 a.m., police said. The scene was 284 feet south of Mano Avenue, near the Nanakuli Fire Station.
After hitting Lewis, the truck hit a chain-link fence, wooden log and three small palm trees before stopping in a yard, police said. Police are investigating whether the driver of the truck had fallen asleep at the wheel before she struck Lewis.
Lewis suffered abrasions and internal injuries and she was taken to the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center where she was pronounced dead at 4:30 a.m., police said.
Alcohol was not a factor in the accident and speed has not yet been determined as a factor, police said. It's unknown whether the driver wore a seatbelt, police said.
It was Oahu's 15th traffic fatality this year, compared to 13 at the same time last year. It was the fifth reported pedestrian fatality on O'ahu this year and the eighth traffic fatality this month.
Wendell Carlos, an independent contractor who hired Lewis, said: "She was a dependable carrier. She was here about two years with me. She was more than just a carrier. She was a good family friend."
Lewis lived on Keaulana Avenue, which is near Nanakuli Beach Park.
Her daughter, Jennifer, 20, and longtime companion Isaac O. Paaoao mourned her loss today.
"I love her like I love my daughter (Jennifer)," said Paaoao, who also delivers The Advertiser. "Now I have my daughter to watch. She's part of me, like her mother is part of me."
Mike Fisch, president and publisher of The Advertiser, said: "We're saddened by this tragedy because our carriers are all part of our 'ohana. We want to express our condolences to her family."
