Crash victims were ‘good kids’

Foster Village resident David Bueno cried in anguish as he spoke about his daughter, Kassandra Kim, who died in a fiery car crash in Ewa with her boyfriend, Joshua deGuzman, and deGuzman’s best friend, Ryan Tuazon.

“I need her back. I miss her so much,” Bueno cried.

“They’re good kids. … It’s too soon for them to go,” he said of the three. “I still can’t believe it.”

Kim, deGuzman and Tuazon, all age 27 of Ewa, died Thursday night after a 2010 Scion they were riding in slammed into a concrete pillar and burst into flames.

Kim and deGuzman left behind a 9-month-old son, Kaleb deGuzman.

The crash occurred at about 8 p.m. Police said the vehicle was traveling westbound on Farrington Highway near Kahi Mohala Behavioral Health when it lost control, flipped over and struck one of the large pillars that support the rail guideway. The vehicle then caught fire.

The three were pronounced dead at the scene. A couple of the victims’ relatives said the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office requested dental records to assist in the identification.

Relatives of Ryan Tuazon said he owned the vehicle. His mother, Angela, sat in the living room of her home still in disbelief over her son’s death. “To me he’s still at work,” she said.

His father, Ernesto, said, “We can’t sleep the whole night. We can’t believe this happened.”

Ryan Tuazon, an electrician with Communication Consulting Services Inc., graduated magna cum laude from Campbell High School in 2007 and attended Honolulu Community College.

His parents were watching a local television news broadcast when they heard about the crash on Farrington Highway. Tuazon’s mother called his cellphone numerous times, but there was no answer.

By 9:30 p.m. two police officers arrived at their home and informed them an accident had occurred involving their son’s vehicle. Angela Tuazon recalled asking them whether her son was OK. The officers told her to stay home and that they would receive a call.

Nobody called, she said.

Worried and anxious, she told her younger son, Mark, to go to the crash scene. While there, he learned all three had died.

He returned home and cried, “They’re gone.”

Tuazon’s mother described her son as quiet and reserved. He enjoyed playing video games with Joshua deGuzman, also a 2007 Campbell High graduate. “He bought a new PlayStation. That’s why he stayed home most of the time,” Angela Tuazon mother said.

“He’s a good boy, good son,” she added.

The Tuazon and deGuzman families are longtime friends. Ryan and Joshua grew up together, said deGuzman’s father, Michael, who is a band member of Society of Seven-LV (Latest Version).

“They’re true friends,” he said, noting that his son and Ryan often went fishing and camping together.

Joshua deGuzman worked as a technician with Cornerstone Air Conditioning. He and his girlfriend, a McKinley High School graduate, and their baby lived with deGuzman’s parents in West Loch.

As she used her hands to wipe away tears rolling down her cheeks, deGuzman’s mother, Beverly, said her son’s death is “not sinking in.”

Joshua deGuzman’s parents described him as a wonderful son who was outgoing and easily made friends. He also enjoyed playing the ukulele, guitar and piano.

DeGuzman’s mother said he will be best remembered for his laugh and making others laugh, especially his son. Michael deGuzman recalled Kaleb’s first word was “dada.”

Beverly deGuzman described Kassandra Kim as smart, kind and selfless. She worked as an accountant for the Honolulu Cookie Co.

Kim’s mother, Tracy Kim, was en route to Hawaii from her home in Las Vegas after she heard of her daughter’s death.

Kim’s father said his daughter will be best remembered for “her beautiful heart.”

DeGuzman’s sister, Michele Markwith, set up a GoFundMe account to raise donations to go toward funeral expenses and to help support deGuzman and Kim’s son.

Those interested in making a donation can click here.

Funeral arrangements are pending for Tuazon, deGuzman and Kim.