Moped crash victim excelled at water polo

Kristi McQuaid, who died in a moped crash Wednesday night in Hawaii Kai, was looking forward to graduating from Kaiser High School this summer.

"She was really happy to be free," said friend and former co-worker Kat Sester. "Everything was going really well for her. She loved her job, she loved her girlfriend, she loved all her friends."

Police said McQuaid was traveling south on Lunalilo Home Road near Kaiser High when her moped hit a curb and struck a light pole. McQuaid, who was not wearing a helmet, died at the scene just after 11 p.m.

Police said speed was not a factor.

John Kolivas, who heard the crash from his home, went out and saw McQuaid in the road with her moped about 20 feet down the street. He said emergency responders administered CPR for about 30 minutes, trading positions to keep the procedure going.

"They were really trying to get her back," he said.

He said a woman who was driving by was the first at the scene and the first to perform CPR on McQuaid. He said the woman told paramedics she initially "felt a faint pulse."

"It was just sad," Kolivas said.

Kaiser High Principal Justin Mew confirmed McQuaid was scheduled to graduate this year after completing summer courses. He said the school will help students who need grief counseling.

"It’s like losing someone from our family," he said.

Asa Tanaka, Kaiser’s swim and water polo coach, said McQuaid was probably the best water polo player on the island for her age group when she played in ninth and 10th grade.

He said McQuaid was recruited by the Olympic Development Program, the feeder program for the national water polo teams, and was also on a junior varsity freestyle relay team that set an island record still standing today.

"She was that good at that time," he said. "She had strength, she had power."

But the two butted heads over her commitment to team practices, and McQuaid eventually went her own way, he said.

Some Kaiser students were upset over McQuaid’s death, saying she was the third Kaiser student to die in just over a year.

Sophomore Reid Krucky, 16, died in April 2013 after falling off his skateboard while being towed by a moped in Hawaii Kai. Another student committed suicide.

"It’s depressing," said Shawn Mizukami, 17, who just finished his junior year. "You kind of notice how important life is."

Honolulu Police Maj. Kurt Kendro said McQuaid was the fourth person to die in a moped crash on Oahu this year, highlighting the danger of riding mopeds without a helmet. Only one of the fatalities was using a helmet.

He said police backed a bill for a helmet law at the Legislature this past session, but the bill didn’t pass.

Kendro said there have been three motorcycle fatalities this year on Oahu.

Last year on Oahu there were six moped fatalities and 12 motorcycle fatalities.

Friends said McQuaid was a hard worker and was employed full time in the kitchen at Kona Brewing Co., which closed Thursday at Koko Marina Center in memory of McQuaid.

Samantha Peck, 17, who graduated from Kaiser High in May, said McQuaid would joke about everything in class.

"She had a good attitude," Peck said. "Everyone liked her."