McKinley High School student killed in hit-and-run

A McKinley High School student was killed in a hit-and-run collision while she and another student were crossing Kapiolani Boulevard near the school Wednesday morning.

The collision occurred at the intersection of Kapiolani Boulevard and Kamakee Street near McKinley High’s athletic field just after 6:40 a.m.

The victim, identified as 16-year-old Sara Yara by her mother, Chevy Saniatan, was described as a “happy-go-lucky” and “loving” person.

“She was a loving and kind girl, and she always thought about others. She was just soft and gentle — even when she was mad she didn’t sound like she was upset,” Saniatan said.

Yara, who was a twin, was described as being gregarious, and she and a group of her friends rode the bus to school every day.

Saniatan said the bus dropped Yara and her friends off on Kapiolani Boulevard on the opposite side of the school every day, and she would walk across the street to get to campus.

“There’s seven of them that ride the bus together every morning,” Saniatan said. “That was their daily routine, nothing different. It’s just that someone decided to go through a red light and speed (on Wednesday).”

She added that she has been worried before about the traffic not just along Kapiolani Boulevard, but also Pensacola Street and King Street, as all three heavily used roads border the campus.

“I worry every day, and every day I tell (my kids) I love them, and every day I tell them to be careful,” Saniatan said. “And they were careful — they were only one foot away from the sidewalk. They were almost there when the (driver) swiped them.”

Yara had been exploring an interest in computer science and graphic design, which she may have pursued in college, Saniatan said.

A GoFundMe page (bit.ly/3XCQzY9) has been set up for Yara’s family to raise funds for a memorial service.

Yara and another student were crossing Kapiolani Boulevard in a marked crosswalk when a silver pickup truck traveling westbound struck them.

The truck fled, said acting Maj. Stason Tanaka of the Honolulu Police Department’s Traffic Division at a news conference at police headquarters.

Police said the pedestrians had the right-of-way.

Officers later located the pickup truck, unoccupied, several blocks away from the scene. The driver had not been found as of Wednesday evening.

Honolulu Emergency Medical Services personnel administered advanced life support to the student and took her in critical condition to a hospital where she died.

The other student, 17, was taken in good condition to a hospital.

Speed appears to be a factor in the collision, Tanaka said.

This is the third pedestrian fatality on Oahu compared with two at the same time last year.

McKinley High Principal Ron Okamura sent a letter to parents and guardians Wednesday concerning the student’s death.

“On behalf of our entire McKinley High School ohana, we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this student, including our faculty and students who knew the student,” Okamura said in the letter.

The school’s crisis intervention team is available to support students, parents and school personnel.

Crystal Shirai, a cashier at McKinley Car Wash located near the Kapiolani Boulevard and Kamakee Street intersection, said many drivers speed in the area. “A lot of cars speed trying to make the light,” she said. A traffic light is located at the intersection.

The stretch of roadway on Kapiolani Boulevard near McKinley is a school zone where the posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour when children are present.

Many McKinley High students use the crosswalk in the mornings and afternoons. Students noted that the school’s main entrance feeds right into the intersection.

Shirai, of Kalihi, has been working at the car wash since 2009 and takes the bus to work daily. She regularly uses crosswalks in the area where a bus stop is located on Kapiolani Boulevard near Public Storage, and the other located near McKinley High’s athletic field.

Charles Martin, who also works at the car wash, said he already was at work when the collision took place, although did he not witness it. On normal days traffic slows cars down on Kapiolani Boulevard by 6 a.m. When traffic allows it, some drivers speed through the intersection, Martin said.

When traffic is heavy, drivers making an unprotected left turn at the intersection — either from Kapiolani Boulevard to Kamakee Street or the other way around — have a tendency to rush in an attempt to beat oncoming vehicles, pedestrians or the stop lights.

“People are very, very rude when they turn to the left. When the light turns green, some people absolutely have to go first,” Martin said. “They won’t let people walk.”

Shirai noted that she had some close calls while crossing the road. “They don’t know how to wait,” she said of motorists. “They’re like rushing.”

Motorists need to slow down and think of the safety of pedestrians, Shirai added.

Tanaka urged the public to watch out for one another and be vigilant on the roadways.

On Wednesday afternoon a memorial of flowers was placed on one of the metal poles at the intersection.

Police are continuing their investigation into the hit-and run. Anyone with information is urged to call HPD’s Traffic Division at 808-723-3413.

Sen. Sharon Moriwaki (D, Waikiki-Ala Moana-Kakaako), House Speaker Scott Saiki (D, Ala Moana-Kakaako-Downtown), and Rep. Adrian Tam (D, Waikiki), in a statement following the collision, said they will work with the City and County of Honolulu to make improvements to the intersection.

“We will work with the city to assess improvements that can be made to increase the safety of this intersection for pedestrians and drivers. The area has become busier, and we should consider all options to improve safety,” the lawmakers said in a statement following the collision.

Saiki said that along with regular traffic, the line of cars waiting to get into the car wash also has added to potential hazards for both drivers and pedestrians in the area.

He added that increased development in the area is leading to an increase in vehicles, making the need for better traffic safety more urgent.

The intersection where Wednesday’s fatal collision took place is one of 10 that have been selected to be part of the state Department of Transportation’s Red-Light Safety Program. The DOT is in the middle of installing cameras to catch drivers who run red lights at intersections.

The Kamakee-Kapiolani intersection is one of the last scheduled to get a camera installed. It’s not yet clear when the installation will be.

Mckinley High School Letter Regarding Traffic Fatality by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd