HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Hilo woman, 23, struck by car, dies
Advertiser Staff
A 23-year-old Hilo woman died early yesterday after she was struck by a car as she walked along the Pana'ewa stretch of Highway 11 outside of Hilo.
Julia T.I. Nishimoto was struck shortly before 4:23 a.m. by a 1991 Toyota station wagon that was traveling toward Hilo. She was pronounced dead at 6:40 a.m. at Hilo Medical Center.
Big Island police said they believe Nishimoto may have been walking in the roadway when she was struck, but said the case is still under investigation.
The 72-year-old woman who was driving the station wagon was not injured.
Officers closed one Hilo-bound lane from about 4:30 to 7:30 a.m. while they investigated the scene of the collision. Police said they did not believe speed or alcohol were factors in the crash.
Nishimoto's death was the 16th traffic fatality this year on the Big Island, the same number as on this date last year.
TANKER TRUCK SPILL CLOSES ROAD
A tanker truck hauling a load of water overturned yesterday morning, closing one lane of the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway for almost two hours.
The tanker, from the E.M. Rivera & Sons Inc. construction company, was turning right on to the highway from Hinalani Street when it tipped onto its side, blocking the merge lane and the northbound lane, police said.
Oil and diesel fuel leaked from the truck onto the southbound lane.
Traffic in both directions alternated using the southbound lane until the highway was cleared and the northbound lane was reopened at 10:15 a.m.
The driver, a 49-year-old Kona man, was taken to Kona Community Hospital with minor injuries.
ABOUT 3,240 LOSE ELECTRICAL POWER
Three electrical failures disrupted power to about 3,240 customers on the Big Island on Monday.
The first incident happened at 6:07 a.m. when about 1,500 residents of the Hawaiian Beaches and Hawaiian Shores subdivisions experienced a blackout because of a problem on the distribution circuit, said Hawaiian Electric Light Co. Power was restored at 6:59 a.m. to 600 customers, and by 11 a.m. to the remaining customers.
At 9:20 a.m., about 1,200 customers from Honomu to the 'O'okala area lost power when a tree fell across power lines in Pa'auilo, HELCO said. By 10:40 a.m., power was restored to 1,100 customers, and two hours later, the remaining 100 customers had power back.
In order to isolate the downed distribution lines caused by the fallen tree, HELCO cut off power to 540 customers in Pa'auilo at 11:15 a.m. An hour later, power was restored to all but 40 customers in the area. By 2:42 p.m., repairs were complete and power was restored to the remaining customers, HELCO said.
MAKIKI
ARMED MAN, WOMAN STEAL CAR
A 56-year-old man told police he was robbed at gunpoint in Makiki on Monday morning.
He said he was standing beside his rental car about 8 a.m. when a stranger approached, drew a gun and demanded his personal property.
The man told police that after he complied with the demands, the robber struck him, causing him to fall to the ground.
He said the robber and a woman then got into the rental car and drove away.
