Oahu struck by spate of deaths and injuries

Four people died and three others were seriously or critically injured Sunday in what Honolulu Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services officials called a "crazy day" for first responders.

The mayhem included three motorcycle accidents — two fatal — and two apparent drownings.

The deadly day started with a 9:48 a.m. call to the Makapuu tide pools, where a person walking along the Makapuu Lighthouse trail reported a woman, believed to be in her 50s or 60s, floating in the ocean.

HFD and Ocean Safety personnel rushed to the scene by Jet Ski, helicopter and boat. Ocean Safety workers retrieved the woman from the water and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. An HFD helicopter then transported the woman and an HFD rescue worker to Sandy Beach, where she was turned over to EMS personnel. She was taken to Straub Clinic & Hospital, where she died.

An hour and a half later, HFD rescue personnel were called to Nuuanu Reservoir No. 4, the former catfishing site, where a 22-year-old man was reported missing in the water.

According to witnesses, the man was part of a group of people who illegally entered the restricted property, which is owned by the Board of Water Supply. The man reportedly jumped from a bridge approximately 100 feet above the water but failed to surface.

HFD divers located the man in approximately 25 feet of water and transferred him to EMS personnel.

"He was underwater for about 45 minutes," said HFD spokesperson Capt. Rick Karasaki. "When our personnel got him, there were no obvious signs of life."

The man was transported to the Queen’s Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Just after 2 p.m. police were called to the scene of a bizarre motorcycle accident on the H-1 freeway near the Hickam off­ramp.

According to witnesses, a Mercedes sedan had pulled over to the side of the road, and a man and woman, both in their 40s or 50s, were attempting to repair a flat tire. As they were doing this, an oncoming car clipped a motorcycle, sending it out of control.

The motorcycle operator hit the back of the Mercedes while his motorcycle continued on, eventually striking the man and woman who were attempting to fix the tire.

The man struck by the motorcycle was taken in critical condition to Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center, where he later died. The woman and the operator of the motorcycle, a man in his 20s or 30s, were both taken in serious condition to the Queen’s Medical Center.

At 4:25 p.m. emergency medical personnel were called to Waikupanaha Street in Waimanalo, where a man in his 30s was injured after the motorcycle he was operating apparently crashed into a fire hydrant. The man suffered massive head injuries and was taken in critical condition to a local trauma center.

Then just before 7 p.m., police, fire and emergency personnel were sent to the Nuuanu-Pali area for another fatal motorcycle accident. Police closed Nuuanu Pali Drive to investigate. No other details of this incident were available.

Honolulu firefighters also battled a brush fire that blackened approximately eight acres off Helelua Street in Nanakuli. The blaze was first reported just after 4 p.m. and contained two hours later. No structures were endangered and no injuries were reported.