'Ewa crosswalk injury raises alarm

By Kapono Dowson
Advertiser Staff Writers

'EWA — A community group has been seeking safety improvements at a crosswalk where a 16-year-old girl was critically injured yesterday, residents said.

A Honolulu Police Department traffic investigator walks by the broken windshield of a car that struck a 16-year-old girl yesterday as she crossed the mauka-bound lane of Fort Weaver Road near Leeward Child and Family Services. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

She was flown in a helicopter to The Queen's Medical Center, where she was listed in critical condition.

The girl appeared to have been in a crosswalk, police traffic investigator Sgt. William Baldwin said. She was crossing the 91-1800 block of Fort Weaver Road from east to west when she was hit by the vehicle driven by a 66-year-old 'Ewa Beach woman.

The speed limit there is 45 mph. There is no traffic signal. Baldwin said excessive speed or alcohol were not factors in the accident.

Residents yesterday pointed out that there is a rise in the roadway just south of the crosswalk, making it difficult for a northbound driver to see the crosswalk until the last moment.

"This crosswalk is extremely awful," said Melissa Fermin, who works at a nearby childcare center. "Not the first time and unfortunately not the last time something like this happens."

"That area is very populated. You always see elderly (people) dodging cars," co-worker Frances Heltz said. "The crosswalk's in a terrible place. The (morning) sun can blind you as you come over the hill."

Residents formed a group called the 'Ewa Pedestrian Coalition to seek safety improvements to that particular crosswalk, which is near the Leeward Child and Family Services facility.

The state Department of Transportation gave the group $2,000 to review safety concerns at the crosswalk and at shoulder areas along Fort Weaver Road. One concern is that people who cross the four-lane road are forced to walk on a narrow dirt strip along the highway, between a guardrail and the roadway shoulder.

The coalition dismissed the idea of installing a traffic signal at the crosswalk following community opposition that another stoplight on Fort Weaver Road would worsen traffic congestion.

The coalition recommended to the Department of Transportation that a pedestrian overpass be built. People who testified at the two public hearings and the results from the survey favored a pedestrian overpass, said a report by the coalition. Coalition officials have estimated the cost at $3.5 million.

But the Department of Transportation turned down the idea of the overpass because it would not help people in wheelchairs and others covered by the Americans With Disabilities Act. The state did decide to replace existing signage with new, bright yellow versions.

The Leeward Child and Family Services facility nearby provides more than 15 services to area residents, including a school and day care center. Many of the elderly, high schoolers, young children and their parents who use the facility arrive by foot or bus.

"There are kids who cross there. Parents with strollers as well as elderly moving across the area," said Tom Berg, a member of the 'Ewa Pedestrian Coalition.

Residents' worst fears were realized yesterday morning. "I heard the bang. I saw the girl flying. She looked like a lifeless doll," Fermin said. She called 911 as two co-workers went to render assistance.

Police diverted morning commuters to a shoulder lane while officers investigated the accident. All lanes were reopened by 10 a.m.

Police ask that anyone who saw the accident call officer Lisa Reed of the HPD Traffic Division at 529-3523.

Advertiser staff writer Mike Gordon contributed to this report.

Reach Kapono Dowson at kdowson@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8103.