Car-bus crash kills 1 on Farrington

By Kapono Dowson
Advertiser Staff Writer

The driver of this Volkswagen Jetta was killed after the car crossed the center line and hit a city bus on Farrington Highway in Nanakuli, Honolulu police said. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Police said the accident occurred at about 4 a.m. on Farrington Highway just west of Haleakala Avenue when a Volkswagen Jetta crossed the center line and struck the Wai'anae-bound city bus. It appeared the vehicle was making a left turn onto Haleakala Avenue, police said.

Firefighters had to cut through two car doors of the badly smashed Jetta to get to the victim, who police said was in his 20s. He was pronounced dead by emergency medical service workers at the scene, fire officials said.

Officials of O'ahu Transit Services, which operates TheBus, said the bus was headed to Makaha from Honolulu at the time of the accident. There were no passengers on the bus at the time of the accident. The bus operator was not injured, bus officials said.

Concerned over the possibility of multiple passenger injuries, HFD sent out 10 fire personnel, including a battalion chief, from its Nanakuli station, fire officials said.

Police closed the west bound lane of Farrington Highway at Haleakala Avenue until 8:30 a.m., leaving traffic backed up through mid-morning.