Alcohol suspected in fatal H-1 crash

Advertiser Staff

A 22-year-old Wai'anae man was dead yesterday and an 'Ewa Beach man was in police custody after an accident on the H-1 Freeway near Pearlridge.

The 'Ewa Beach man had been drinking, police said.

Kirk Sakata of Wai'anae had stopped his maroon Nissan on the makai shoulder of eastbound H-1 near Kaonohi overpass late Saturday night. He had his emergency lights flashing and was looking into his trunk. Two teenage boys, 15 and 17, were in the car.

The 31-year-old 'Ewa Beach man, with a 3-year-old child as passenger, was driving an Isuzu SUV in the center eastbound lane of H-1 Freeway's five lanes.

He suddenly veered right, crossing two lanes of traffic and crashing into the rear of the Nissan, crushing Sakata between the cars, police said.

He was later arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and negligent homicide.

Sakata was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition, where he died.

The two teenage boys in the Nissan and the 'Ewa Beach man were treated for injuries. The child wasn't hurt.

It was the 12th traffic fatality of 2002, compared with four this time last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.