‘A very sweet kid’ who did not like driving dies on road

Justin Willingham didn’t like to drive, and was walking down Farrington Highway to the nearby 7-Eleven store in Makaha Sunday night. The route took him past his grandmother’s house. Inside, his grandmother, Lindsay Smith, heard a horrible crash, followed by the wail of sirens.

"I heard it myself, but I didn’t know it was him," Smith said Monday. "He was a good person and I hope he’s in a happy place."

Willingham, 22, had been at his mother’s home, also in Makaha, when he decided to walk to the store. He was struck and killed as he walked along the shoulder of the road at about 8:10 p.m. by a suspected speeding, drunken driver who then tried to flee, police said.

The impact hurled Willingham onto the windshield of the 1998 white Infiniti I30, police said.

The driver tried to get away but crashed into a culvert, police said. He then allegedly tried to run from the damaged car toward the beach but was captured by a group of bystanders.

"He was sitting on the beach like it was nothing," said Chub Bailey, 58, who heard the crash and ran to the scene.

Police arrested the 20-year-old suspect from Wai­anae on suspicion of drunken driving, failure to render aid and negligent homicide. He was arrested on Jade Street after running from the beach when he realized he was being chased, witnesses said.

Paramedics said Willingham died at the scene from massive injuries.

Police believe that speed and alcohol were factors in the crash and are investigating whether drugs may have been involved.

The dust hadn’t even settled from the crash when John Kahele made his way to the street.

"To see the body that way was just horrific," he said.

For Kahele, the accident highlights the speeding problem in the area.

"At night you can hear cars flying up the road," he said. "People also overtake even if it’s solid line."

Willingham, who once attended Waianae High School, leaves behind his mother, Shelly Willingham, two younger brothers and his grandmother, Smith said.

He was born and raised in Michigan but loved Hawaii, Smith said. Willingham’s father died in 2005, she said.

Two years ago, Willingham answered an online ad for Re/Max’s Kapolei real estate office to help trouble-shoot their computers. He immediately impressed the agents and staff with his computer skills and easygoing personality.

"He was a very sweet kid," said Cynthia Pela, who works at the front desk. "He always wanted to help people. He was always so polite. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He was nice to everyone he met."

In January, Realtor/team leader Adrienne Lally hired Willingham to work full time as one of her assistants.

"He was always willing to help and did more than asked," Lally said. "Even though Justin didn’t have any real estate experience or knowledge, he was a team player, always eager to please, very trustworthy and reliable."

Willingham had no aspirations for college or a career in real estate and "was trying to figure things out," Pela said. "That makes what had happened so much more sad."

He threw his skills and work ethic into his job and Willingham’s personality made him an asset, Lally said.

"He never lost his cool, even when there were angry people on the other line," she said. "But he could be persistent in a polite way."

Even though he was skinny, Lally teased Willingham for his penchant for both breakfast and lunch at the nearby McDonald’s.

He loved the United Kingdom singer Jade, and built fan pages, websites and blogs in her honor "because he loved her music so much," Lally said.

Around the office, Willingham could always be found by tracing the sound of the jangle of keys that always hung from his pants, Lally said.

"You could always tell where he was because he had those janitor keys," she said.

The office loved Willingham so much that the bosses gave him "an island beater car" to use as his own to get to and from Kapolei instead of riding TheBus, Lally said, even though "he always had stories about riding TheBus and his adventures in public transportation."

But as calm as he could be dealing with upset clients, Willingham froze behind the wheel and had to be taken from the race track during a team-building go-kart outing in Kalaeloa, Lally said.

"We tried to get him a car, but he was so nervous driving," she said. "Because he lived in Makaha, we wanted him to be mobile. But he was so scared to drive. It was becoming a distraction."

Removed from the driver’s seat, Lally said, "Justin was the easiest person to make laugh — at anything."

His mother called the Re/Max office Monday morning.

"She wanted to let us know that Justin wouldn’t be at work today because he was hit and killed," Lally said, tearing up.

Later, over lunch, Willingham’s office friends gathered to share stories about him and remember his ready smile.

"He will be missed," Lally said.

Willingham’s death is the 38th traffic fatality this year on Oahu, compared to 38 at the same time last year.