Most cars speeding when bicyclist killed, witness says
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
A man who saw the Saturday traffic collision that killed a 68-year-old bicyclist has come forward with details of the incident, and he said most of the cars on Kalaniana'ole Highway that morning were speeding.
The Rev. Randall Frost, a Church of Wales priest who saw the crash while he was on his way home to Hawai'i Kai, has photos and said he may have a video recording from a dashboard camera that supports his eyewitness account.
Frost
Police yesterday continued their negligent homicide investigation into the incident, in which Ernest Sakai was struck from behind by a black Chevy pickup. The driver, a 22-year-old East Honolulu woman, has not been arrested, police said.
Frost, 45, said he works in a ministry that brings food to the homeless around O'ahu and was headed home to restock his car with canned goods. Frost said he was driving in the center lane and saw the truck approach from behind and then pass on his right.
"It looked like she oversteered and went into the bike lane," Frost said. "I saw the dust that came up and knew she was going pretty fast."
The Chevy was within 50 feet of his own car when he saw the right side of the truck strike the bicycle's rear tire, Frost said. He added that the bike reared up, and its rider was ejected and then struck by the truck's front grille.
Frost said the truck pulled off the road about 200 feet ahead, and he maneuvered off the road to park behind it.
The sound of the impact, and the sight of the body that fell to the ground in the bike lane, will be difficult to forget, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Rev. Randall Frost
"I saw the body; the little white bicycle helmet was on," he said. "I could tell the body was twisted."
A damaged pickup truck remained in the shoulder lane of Kalaniana'ole Highway on Saturday after its driver apparently swerved to the right, striking and killing bicyclist Ernest Sakai.
At one point, Frost said, he approached the body with the thought of conferring last rites but was unable to compose himself for the task.
"I've done this a thousand times, but I could not do it," Frost said. "My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. You know, when you're so sick to your stomach your mouth goes dry as a prune?"
Frost said he puts in many miles on the road delivering meals to the homeless. He added that he is checking to see what was recorded by the small dashboard video camera, a device he had installed as a deterrent after being assaulted while doing his work.
He also took some snapshots of the scene but must rely on his memory to describe the speed of passing traffic. Frost said he glanced at his speedometer and noted he was driving about 42 mph at the point when people were speeding past him.
"The average person was passing me by about 20 better," he said.
"The sad thing is I saw other cars just take off," he said. "They saw what happened, and they left."
Reach Vicki Viotti at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8053.
