Pedestrian, 73, dies after being struck by pickup in Liliha
A 73-year-old man died Sunday after he was hit by a pickup truck while crossing Liliha Street, continuing a deadly trend for pedestrians on Oahu.
Police said the man was walking Ewa-bound in a crosswalk at the intersection of Liliha and Kuakini streets at about 7:50 a.m. Sunday when he was struck by the pickup. He was taken in critical condition to The Queen’s Medical Center where he died.
“It’s very sad but it’s not surprising,” said Debbie Chaiprakorb, manager of the craft store Creations by You on the corner of Kuakini and Liliha streets.
She said the intersection was improved years ago when Liliha Street was widened to include right-turn lanes for both directions, but it is still dangerous because of the number of pedestrians and drivers not paying attention.
“People are always trying to go around cars who are turning,” she said. “It’s a bad intersection. It’s just very busy.”
She added that many of the pedestrians are seniors or slow-moving, with some going to Ho‘opono Services for the Blind, a vocational rehabilitation center, or Kuakini Medical Center, both on Kuakini Street.
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Sunday’s fatality was the 26th pedestrian death on Oahu and the 56th traffic- related death for the island, both for this year.
This year’s pedestrian death count is the highest in at least two years. There were 11 pedestrian fatalities on Oahu in 2017 and 21 in 2016.