Tunnel sign breaks fall of airborne motorcyclist
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
A roadway sign saved the life of a 40-year-old man who fell 100 feet into a ravine on the Kailua side of the Pali Tunnels yesterday after being thrown from his motorcycle, firefighters said.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
The "Lights?" sign outside of the second tunnel broke the man's fall, said Capt. Richard Bulacan, whose company from the Olomana fire station found the injured man at 4:30 a.m., 17 minutes after arriving at the scene.
Traffic investigators examine the scene of the early morning motorcycle accident near the Pali Tunnels. The motorcyclist was rescued downslope and taken to a hospital.
"The sign was ripped out last week and was just replaced," Bulacan said. "The new sign saved his butt."
The impact bent the sign at a 90-degree angle, Bulacan said.
Firefighters hiked down from the roadway to attend to the injured man, who was conscious and appeared to have fractured his right collarbone and elbow. Fire rescue specialists rappelled down to retrieve the man, who was taken to The Queen's Medical Center.
Speed appears to be a factor in the crash, said police investigator Sgt. William Watkins.
The crash occurred between the second Kailua-bound tunnel and the hairpin turn at 4:01 a.m. The motorcycle swerved on a bend and hit a concrete barrier, police said. The motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet.
Firefighters searched for a possible passenger but found no one, Bulacan said. The Olomana engine company was assisted by Rescue One and a ladder company from Kailua, said Fire Department spokesman Capt. Emmit Kane.
Police investigating the crash closed the Pali Tunnels to Kailua-bound traffic from 4:01 to 7:40 a.m.
