Tour driver arrested after pedestrian is fatally struck
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
A 76-year-old man was fatally struck Thursday evening by a tour trolley at Cooke and Auahi streets in Kakaako. Police conducted an investigation at the crosswalk and at the tour bus farther up Cooke Street.
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Police set up a privacy tent Thursday over the body of a man fatally struck by a tour trolley in Kakaako.
Police arrested a trolley driver on suspicion of negligent homicide Thursday following a fatal collision with a 76-year-old pedestrian in Kakaako.
According to police, the trolley was traveling east on Auahi Street around 3:49 p.m. when it attempted to turn north onto Cooke Street and struck the victim, who police believe was in a marked crosswalk.
The driver, a 52-year-old man, declined to take a field sobriety test and was arrested on suspicion of first-degree negligent homicide. He is also suspected of operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant based on observations from officers who interviewed him following the incident.
The Honolulu Police Department’s Lt. James Slayter said that while alcohol and/or drugs may have contributed to the collision, speed does not appear to have been a factor.
Witnesses, however, said the victim was struck so hard that his shoes and other articles of clothing were left scattered on the roadway.
About a half-dozen Japanese tourists were aboard the JTB Olioli shuttle when the collision occurred. Each was interviewed by police, via translators, following the incident.
Police at the scene said they were also able to obtain video of the collision from a nearby security camera.
JTB officials who visited the scene to consult with police declined to comment.
The incident is the latest entry in one of the deadliest years for pedestrians on record. The victim, a Honolulu resident whose identity has yet to be released, is the 27th pedestrian to die in a traffic-related incident on Oahu this year. Thirteen pedestrians died in traffic- related incidents on the island in all of 2017.
“It’s a tragic year,” Slayter said. “We’re at a very high number (of fatalities), obviously way too high for what we would want. As a police department, we would love it if there were no fatalities, no critical motor vehicle collisions on the roadways. Unfortunately, we had another one today.
“It’s a somber reminder for all drivers — whether you’re driving a (commercial vehicle), you’re a pedestrian or you’re driving to and from work — to slow down, be cautious and watch out for one another.”
Police closed a section of Cooke Street, from Pohukaina to Auahi streets, for more than two hours while an investigation was conducted.
