Kakaako crash raises calls for legislative and personal changes

The deadly crash that killed three pedestrians in Kakaako Jan. 28 continues to raise calls for personal and government action against drunken driving.

Approximately 100 people directly and indirectly impacted by the tragedy attended Saturday’s “Hawaii: We Care” gathering at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Sponsors of the “healing and inspirational event” included the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Hawaii Bicycling League.

Among those present were Hawaii Tourism Authority Board Chairman Rick Fried and Debbie and Paul McCurdy, parents of crash survivor Lianna McCurdy, who was seriously injured when she was hit by a Ford F-150 pickup truck driven by Alins Sumang, 27, while standing on a traffic island at the Ala Moana Boulevard and Kamakee Street intersection. Two other pedestrians and the driver of a second pickup truck also were injured, in addition to the three killed.

Sumang has been charged with three counts of manslaughter. Police suspect alcohol was involved.

“Lianna’s been crying, ‘Why, why, why did this happen?,’” Debbie McCurdy said. “Motor vehicles are weapons in the hands of drunk drivers, and this was like a bomb going off in a crowd of people. If there’s anything we can do to prevent this from happening again, we need to do it.”

Casimir Pokorny, 26, of Oreland, Pa., a friend of Lianna McCurdy’s boyfriend, was killed in the incident.

Melissa Lau, widow of Kakaako crash victim Dr. William Travis Lau, urged community members to stop intoxicated friends and family members from getting behind the wheel.

“It’s about time that we get angry and we get shaken up and we say this is enough,” she said. “And we need to stop looking at things and saying, ‘Well, this is another tragedy or another freak accident.’ I don’t want to hear that. These people were not in the wrong place. These people were in a place where they felt they were supposed to be safe.”

Also killed was Japanese visitor Reino Ikeda, 47.

Jessica Lani Rich, president and executive director of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii, said the “Hawaii: We Care” event was held “to support the victims and we also wanted our community to have a place to heal.”

“In the 15 years that I’ve been president of VASH, it was beyond a doubt the most tragic event,” she said.

On the legislative front, Chad Taniguchi of the Hawaii Bicycling League advocated for Senate Bill 663, which would allow law enforcement to put cameras at traffic lights to take photos of drivers who run red lights and then issue citations by mail.

“The grief can turn into action and the horror can turn into power to make our streets safer,” Taniguchi said. “Red-light running is so common. If we got a 24/7, 365 enforcement, it’s definitely gonna change people’s behavior.”

He also mentioned House Bill 757, known as the “Vision Zero” bill, which would require the state Department of Transportation and counties to work together to get pedestrian fatality numbers down to zero.