Friends anxiously hoped for the recovery of a 21-year-old Waianae man after he drove the wrong way on the H-2 freeway Saturday and slammed into an oncoming pickup truck. The driver of the pickup died at the scene, and a third driver involved in the crash was seriously hurt.
Waianae resident Charles Salazar and a police source identified the driver of the wrong-way vehicle as Jameson Yong.
Friends identified the driver of the pickup as Lance Miyashiro, 40, of Wahiawa.
Yong had undergone numerous surgeries by Saturday afternoon, Salazar said.
Yong is the son of Salazar’s former roommate, and Salazar has known him since he was a baby.
"That boy’s a good kid," Salazar said. "He’s a loving guy, brah. He’s smart.
"I couldn’t even believe that wen’ happen," he added.
Salazar said it was unusual for Yong to be out so late because he usually goes straight home after work. The night of the crash, Yong was supposed to drink with Salazar’s neighbor across the street in Waianae but never showed up, Salazar said.
Police said the crash happened about 2:20 a.m. in the Wahiawa-bound lanes of the H-2 freeway, about a half-mile before the Ka Uka Boulevard offramp. Yong was driving a white 1992 BMW the wrong way when he crashed head-on with a Wahiawa-bound 2005 Toyota Tacoma pickup.
The pickup overturned, and a Jeep Liberty SUV hit the truck on its side. Paramedics took the driver of the Jeep, a 58-year-old Mililani man, to the hospital in serious condition.
Yong was pulled from his car by firefighters and taken to the Queen’s Medical Center in critical condition, police said.
All three men appeared to be wearing their seat belts; no one else was inside the vehicles. Speed, alcohol, and drugs were unknown factors in the crash, police said.
Honolulu Police Lt. Robert Towne said it appeared the BMW got on the freeway from the Ka Uka Boulevard offramp.
The incident shut down access to H-2 from the H-1 freeway until about 6:40 a.m. Motorists heading toward Mililani and beyond were directed onto Kamehameha Highway.
Friends struggled with the news of Miyashiro’s sudden death.
David Ferreira, owner of Mililani Pets, said Miyashiro was a manager for the store and worked there for 25 years.
"He was a great person," he said. "We became family."
Miyashiro also had worked as security for Mai Tai Bar at Ala Moana Center since 2004.
"He’s an incredible, gentle, generous man," said Francine Cekada, general manager of Mai Tai Bar. Miyashiro would frequently bring in pizza or other treats to share with co-workers, and during the Christmas holiday season he would give gifts to show his gratitude, Cekada said.
"Always giving," she said. "We’re just heartbroken."
Salazar said Yong — a big guy at over 6 feet tall — works at BAE Systems at Pearl Harbor. He said Yong had internal injuries and came out of his third surgery Saturday.
"I just wish for the best for everything," he said.
According to Yong’s Facebook page, he graduated from Waianae High School in 2008.
Miyashiro’s death was the 47th traffic death on Oahu this year, compared with 53 at the same time last year.
It was the second time in less than six months that a vehicle traveling the wrong way on the H-2 freeway during early morning hours ended in a fatality.
On July 18, security guard Tim Leyes was driving the wrong way in the Waipahu-bound lanes of H-2 when he collided with another vehicle near the Pineapple Road overpass. Leyes was killed and two other drivers were injured.