A 19-year-old woman killed Wednesday in a car crash in Waimanalo was an outstanding alumna of Saint Francis School, where many were mourning her death Thursday.
"We dealt with teachers and parents and students and tears this morning," said Head of School Sister Joan of Arc Souza.
Kaneohe native Jessica Lum, who was living in Waimanalo, died at the scene of a single-car crash on Hihimanu Street near the Waimanalo District Park.
"She was such a good kid," said Souza, noting she was enrolled in the advanced placement program and graduated with a 3.0 GPA.
"Jessica was happy, fun to be with, an artist, into sports, an all-around-type kid," she said.
At her graduation she accepted the top technology award, Souza said, adding she loved computers.
"Anytime you ran into her in the hallway, she was always smiling, laughing, keeping everybody upbeat," she said.
Many remember the 2013 graduate of Saint Francis, where three of her siblings are students, so the school will hold a memorial service 9:15 a.m. Monday at the gymnasium for classmates, friends, family and students from eighth grade and above.
"We just want to be able to do something for the sake of all the students, to bring closure," Souza said, especially her classmates.
The school will hold a prayer service later, at which the subject of death will be addressed — how it is a part of life and has no regard for age, Souza said.
Also, the message to the students will be, "When you’re driving, 100 percent of their focus should be on driving," she said.
News of her death flew through social media, Souza said.
Lum had a clean record, without a single disciplinary action or notice her entire time at Saint Francis, Souza said.
Students and faculty were hearing about the 10:55 a.m. accident Wednesday.
Then Lum’s father called her sister, Jennifer, a senior, to drive her brother, an eighth-grader, and sister, a preschooler, home.
"When we realized it was her sister, I said, ‘No. Call another member of her family to pick them all up,’" Souza said. "She was just too distraught."
The two sisters were very close, Souza said.
Police have opened a negligent-homicide investigation, but no arrest had been made Thursday. Investigators say speed may have been a factor in the crash, and they are looking at evidence at the scene, which might suggest alcohol use. Police are awaiting results of tests for alcohol use by all the car’s occupants.
Two women who ran to the accident site after hearing the crash told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the 20-year-old driver blamed herself because she had been texting and reaching down for something just before the accident.
When she looked up, a van was coming straight at her, so she swerved to avoid it, the driver allegedly told Erin Brodish and Tara Mossman.
The silver 2003 Honda Civic hit a utility pole, knocking it over. The car was heading east but came to rest facing the opposite direction, police said.
Lum was the back-seat passenger and was ejected from the vehicle. She was lying on the pavement, still breathing, when the two women arrived at the scene. Brodish said Lum may have been thrown by the impact out the back door, which had ripped off during the crash.
The driver and another passenger, Tyler "Pele" Parker, were taken to the Queen’s Medical Center in serious condition.
