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BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Police blocked traffic on Nimitz Highway in both directions around Kalihi St. as they investigate the scene of a pedestrian accident.
The Medical Examiner’s office has identified two people who died in separate accidents recently.
Ralph Kahoonei, 58, died in a fiery car crash in Kapolei Dec. 29. Cause of death is pending further tests.
The crash was reported around 6:30 a.m. on Kunehi and Kukulu streets, a few blocks from Kapolei High School.
The victim died despite attempts by witnesses to save him. He was from Waianae.
Witnesses said the driver was speeding down the residential street, hit a concrete barrier and ended in a canal. No other vehicle was involved.
On Jan. 2, Elizabeth Malland, who had no local address, was killed when she was crossing North Nimitz highway at Kalihi street. Police said the victim was not in a crosswalk.
Malland, 48, was walking against the traffic light when she was struck at 8 p.m. She was taken in critical condition to the Queen’s Medical Center where she died.
Authorities said Malland was homeless. The cause of death was multiple blunt trauma. The incident was classified as a traffic death. She was Oahu’s second traffic fatality in 2015.
