Race may have caused fatal crash
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
Police are seeking additional witnesses to yesterday's accident near the merge of H-1 and H-2 freeways, in which speeding apparently led to the death of one man and the injury of five others.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
On-ramps leading from Kamehameha Highway and H-1 into H-2 northbound lanes were blocked for six hours during the investigation. The accident occurred a little after 3 a.m. where the Kamehameha ramp feeds into H-2.
Traffic investigators work at the scene of a fatal accident on the Kamehameha on-ramp to the H-2 Freeway.
"We have unconfirmed reports that there was some kind of speed contest," said Maj. Robert Prasser of the traffic division.
Prasser said the cars, one blue and one black Honda, were modified vehicles that witnesses said were traveling side by side in the northbound lanes and may have been racing.
It is unclear whether the cars made contact, but they ended up on opposite sides of the roadway, he said.
A 23-year-old man killed in the accident was the driver of the blue Honda, police said. He was ejected from the vehicle, a leg amputated in the crash, and was dead at the scene, Prasser said. It was the 40th traffic fatality recorded this year.
The grassy area below the accident site was searched before authorities concluded there were no additional bodies, Prasser said.
The first city ambulance was summoned at 3:07 a.m., and two more were called for backup from the city's Emergency Medical Services station in 'Aiea and the private American Medical Response station at the airport, said Donald Gates, EMS assistant chief of operations.
Ambulances brought two passengers of the blue Honda, a 20-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman, to The Queen's Medical Center. The man remained in critical and the woman's condition was guarded yesterday.
Police said a 13-year-old boy in the black Honda also was taken to Queen's in guarded condition. He was in fair condition last night. Fire Department spokesman Capt. Richard Soo said the boy was burned in the accident.
Two more victims, a 19-year-old woman in the blue Honda and 17-year-old boy driving the black Honda, were treated at Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center and released, a Kaiser spokeswoman said.
