Updated at 10:17 p.m., Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Police charge SUV driver that hit men in Waikiki
By Dave Dondoneau
Advertiser Staff Writers
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John H. Buchanan, 30, of Kaimuki, was charged with driving while intoxicated and negligent injury. Both are misdemeanors. He posted $1,500 bail tonight, police said.
Buchanan had previously been cited 10 times by police in the last six years for traffic offenses, police said.
He was the driver of an SUV that swerved off Kalakaua Avenue at 4 a.m. and into a light pole on the mauka side of the road, pinning two people underneath the vehicle who were sitting nearby and also hitting a third.
Buchanan was most recently cited by police on Jan. 4 for unsafely changing lanes and failing to stop when emerging from an alley. He paid a $194 fine on Feb. 7.
The 10 traffic infractions since 2001 included a citation for speeding, one for driving without a seat belt, and two for noise prohibition.
The wreck shut down the intersection of Kalakaua and Kapahulu avenues in Waikiki for nearly one hour early this morning.
The accident also had a bystander breathing a sigh of relief that the driver didn't swerve any farther off the road.
Firefighters had to lift the car to pull out two of the injured men, ages 23 and 32, who were then taken to The Queen's Medical Center in serious condition. The third victim, 22, was thrown about 20 feet following the collision and was also taken to Queen's in serious condition, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city Emergency Services Department.
Buchanan was not injured in the accident. Drew Partikian said the three individuals work for a cleaning company and were sitting on the wall near the light pole waiting to get into Lulu's to begin work when the vehicle struck them.
"We were outside having a smoke and talking story," said Partikian, who works at Tiki's Bar and Grill. "I didn't even see where the SUV came from. My back was turned. I felt and heard the stoppage and, ultimately, the impact ... the BAM!
"All of a sudden I see this car rolled up and these two guys underneath it. It's a total miracle I wasn't hit. A couple more feet and I would have been mush."
Hear more from Partikian in this ADVERTISER VIDEO.
The intersection was reopened shortly after 5 a.m.
