A 93-year-old pedestrian died early yesterday, hours after being struck while trying to cross the Pali Highway near Dowsett Avenue in a marked crosswalk.

The victim, identified as Ho-nolulu resident Chung Rak Ha, is the first pedestrian fatality of 2008.

Police said Ha was initially taken in serious condition to The Queen's Medical Center after the accident about 6:17 p.m. Wednesday.

But his condition worsened, and he was pronounced dead about 1:30 a.m. yesterday.

An autopsy determined Ha died from head injuries.

The driver of the vehicle that hit Ha is a 47-year-old Kailua man. He was not injured.

Sgt. John Agno, of the police vehicular homicide section, said Ha was hit by a 2001 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck while crossing Pali Highway, 39 feet west of Dowsett Avenue.

Agno said speed, drugs or alcohol were not apparent factors.

It was dark when the crash happened and raining lightly.

Police Sgt. Lloyd Sanborn, of the Kalihi station, said the driver was Kailua-bound in the far left lane when he hit Ha. The 93-year-old was walking toward the median and had almost gotten there when he was struck. Sanborn said the driver tried to stop "but could not in time."

It is unclear whether other drivers stopped for Ha.

The 93-year-old was a retired policeman from South Korea who enjoyed taking long walks from his Kukui Street apartment.

Guy Takazono, Ha's son-in-law, said the family is still in shock. As they planned funeral arrangements yesterday, they were also trying to sort out the details of the accident.

Takazono said Ha was likely headed home when he was hit.

"He was pretty active," Takazono said.

The section of Pali Highway where the crash happened has long been a concern among pedestrian advocates and residents.

Takazono said Ha knew the dangers of walking in the area, and did it anyway because he liked the exercise.

"It's kind of a dangerous area, especially for older people," he said. "But if you're going to live your life worrying about that kind of stuff, you're going to be stuck in your house all the time."

In 2003, the state Department of Transportation put up fluorescent warning signs and "pedestrian crossing" markings on the road to keep drivers on the lookout for walkers. But Paula Kurashige, chairwoman of the Nu'uanu/Punchbowl Neighborhood Board, said more can be done.

"You've got a lot of seniors that do cross there," she said.

Kurashige said speeding is common along the stretch, as drivers prepare to speed up if they are headed Kailua-bound or attempt to slow down as they travel toward Downtown.

The speed limit along the portion of the six-lane highway that cuts through Nu'uanu is 35 mph. There are several marked crosswalks without traffic lights along the stretch, including the one where Ha was struck.

Bruce Bottorff, the spokesman for AARP Hawai'i, which has been a strong advocate for bettering pedestrian safety in the Islands, said the situation on Pali Highway is similar to spots around the state where people are crossing busy thoroughfares and hoping drivers will spot them.

"For the past few years, Hawai'i has been the most dangerous state for pedestrians over the age of 65. The trend does not seem to be getting any better as we head into this new year," Bottorff said. "It's clear we need to educate both drivers and pedestrians about their responsibilities."

Police statistics show that 20 pedestrians, including many elderly, died in each of the last two years on O'ahu, while 28 died in 2005.

Last year, of the pedestrians killed, nine were in marked crosswalks. In 2006, six were in crosswalks.

And in 2005, 14 of those killed were in crosswalks.

Bottorff said recent laws, including stiffer penalties for drivers who cut in front of pedestrians in crosswalks and for jaywalkers, along with more city and state money for crosswalk improvements are steps forward.

One of the larger issues is that the state is designed around cars, Bottorff said.

"When it comes to marked crosswalks that don't have signals, it's hard to suggest that the government needs to put a signal at each busy intersection because obviously that becomes a very difficult thing to do," he said.

There are engineering fixes that can improve pedestrian safety, including installing motion-activated pedestrian crosswalks that light up at night, Bottorff said.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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