By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Three traffic fatalities since Sunday raised O'ahu's highway death toll to 55 — 25 percent higher than at this point last year.
And the most recent victim, a 78-year-old Kaka'ako woman, became the 18th pedestrian killed on O'ahu this year and the fifth struck while in a marked crosswalk.
The city Department of the Medical Examiner yesterday identified the victim as Tsuruko Shimabukuro.
She was fatally injured Wednesday morning when she was hit by a van while crossing Cooke Street at the intersection with Halekauwila Street.
Witnesses told police that Shimabukuro was in a crosswalk when she was hit by the van while it was turning left from Halekauwila onto Cooke.
Witnesses said it appeared that the van driver, a 51-year-old O'ahu man, did not see the pedestrian, possibly because the sun would have been directly in his eyes when the accident took place about 6:55 a.m.
The driver of the late-model Chevrolet delivery van stopped immediately after Shimabukuro was hit and went to check on her, witnesses said.
Shimabukuro was pronounced dead at Queen's.
The medical examiner yesterday also identified two other traffic victims:
Police said the eastbound To-yota Solara had overtaken a vehicle and was trying to pass another when the driver lost control of the speeding car, which skidded into the utility pole at 1:10 p.m. Rivera-Akui died at the scene.
The driver, a 41-year-old man, was taken to Queen's.
Police said a 1985 Oldsmobile traveling townbound on Farrington Highway had stopped to make a left turn near Piliokahi Avenue when it was rear-ended by a 1998 Chevy Tahoe about 12:20 p.m.
Kaio, who was in the back seat of the Oldsmobile, was pronounced dead at Queen's at 1:14 p.m., police said.
The 46-year-old woman driver of the Oldsmobile and a 15-year-old girl also were taken to Queen's, but police said their injuries were not life-threatening.
The 20-year-old driver of the Tahoe was not injured.
At this time last year, O'ahu had recorded 44 traffic fatalities. Sixteen of them were pedestrians, including three who were fatally injured while in a marked crosswalk.
Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com.
