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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted at 12:19 p.m., Thursday, July 24, 2003

Officers had 'no chance' to avoid crash, HPD says

By Rod Ohira, Catherine E. Toth and Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writers

The three Honolulu Police Department motorcycle officers involved in a chain-reaction accident near Honokai Hale had "no chance at all" to avoid a car that spun across the median on Farrington Highway and into their path, an investigator said today.

"It all happened in a blink of an eye," acting vehicular homicide lieutenant John Agno said today about what police are calling the worst accident ever involving the motorcycle patrol unit. "They had no chance at all to take any evasive movement."

Officer Ryan K. Goto, 35, and 10-year-old Alacia Williams, who would have been a fifth-grader today on the first day of school at Ma'ili Elementary School, were killed and five others injured.

Alacia was a passenger in a 1999 Dodge Stratus being driven by a 45-year-old woman, believed to be her mother, in the left Honolulu-bound lane of Farrington Highway. The woman braked and swerved to avoid hitting a cardboard box, police said, and in the process was rear-ended by a Ford Mustang.

Agno said the Mustang hit the rear right side of the Stratus, causing it to swerve across the median and into the path of five motorcycle officers returning to the Wai'anae station from morning rush-hour traffic enforcement duties. The officers were in a 2-2-1 formation with Goto and officers David Bega and Paul Javier closest to the median. Bega and Javier were in guarded condition today at The Queen's Medical Center.

The woman driving the Stratus was in fair condition today at Queen's. Two girls, ages 11 and 9, who were passengers in her car, are in good condition at Kapi'olani Medical Center-Pali Momi.

The two deaths yesterday increased O'ahu's traffic fatality total for the year to 46.

Agno said police have yet to interview the motorcycle officers involved and other witnesses.

The investigation will look into possible negligence factors, such as whether the large box that fell onto the roadway was properly secured, as well as speed and possible inattentiveness by the drivers of both the Stratus and Mustang, Agno said

Gasoline from the crashed motorcycles ignited the dry brush along the highway, and several passers-by and the two other officers rushed to save the others.

"Officers who were able to avoid the collision returned and were pulling their officers out of harm's way. The fire was very intense," Police Chief Lee Donohue said. Motorists who had pulled over also helped remove victims from the Stratus, he said.

Randy Ramos of Wai'anae said he was heading east on Farrington Highway and saw the accident unfold. He said he noticed a large box that had fallen off a white pickup truck in the middle of the road a quarter-mile away.

Ramos said the driver of the Stratus lost control after her car was hit and plowed into the motorcycle officers. He said he pulled to the side and rushed over to offer assistance.

"I took the two girls from the back seat in the green car (Stratus), and then I ran across the street and started helping the officers," he said. "And then other people started to come and brothers and uncles started helping me pull the cops out. All three of them were in the bushes."

Ramos said he and the others were able to get the three officers away from the flames. But he said he noticed that the last officer they pulled from the bushes was not breathing.

He said the passenger side of the Stratus was so damaged that the door wouldn't open, but helpers were able to get a young girl in the passenger seat out through the driverâs door.

Donohue said the other two officers suffered broken bones and spinal injuries.

Donohue and members of his staff went to St. Francis to comfort Goto's fiancee and family.

"It's a sad day for us. It's a tragedy. We lost one officer, but the blessing is that we could have lost more," Donohue said. "Our hearts go out to all the families touched by this tragedy and our prayers are with all of them."

He described Goto, a single parent, as a "great" officer who was very friendly and "always had a smile on his face."

Goto had been with the traffic division since 1998.

It was the second time in four months that Donohue made a sad journey to the 'Ewa hospital. On March 4, officer Glen Gaspar, 40, was shot and killed as he struggled to arrest an attempted-murder suspect inside the Baskin-Robbins shop in Kapolei Shopping Center.

The last motorcycle officer who was killed in the line of duty was Randal Young in 1991. Young was killed by a drunken driver as he issued a ticket on the Pali Highway.

Donohue said yesterday's accident was the worst involving motorcycle officers. In October 2001, three patrol officers were injured when they hit a metal light pole that had fallen across Pali Highway.

Since 1923, 11 motorcycle officers have been killed while on duty. Goto was the 38th Honolulu police officer killed in the line of duty.

"You just never know when it's going to happen," Donohue said. "The officers that I talked to, we're grieving right now. We lost another officer this year."

The highway between Kapolei and Honokai Hale was closed while police conducted their investigation. East-bound traffic moved at a crawl along an open shoulder lane. Westbound traffic was rerouted along Old Farrington Highway, which is normally closed to through traffic.

By 11:30 a.m., both eastbound lanes reopened, but westbound motorists inched along at a snail's pace for much of the afternoon.