More senior citizens have been killed in pedestrian crashes on Oahu so far this year than all of 2013, prompting officials to urge senior citizens to change their pedestrian behavior.
"Senior citizens, they’re in a different stage of life," said Lance Rae of Walk Wise Hawaii. "They have to change their pedestrian habits as we all do."
On Tuesday 75-year-old Andrew Park Jr., a retired carpenter and former Hawaii Carpenters Union trustee, died after he was hit by an alleged drunken driver while crossing Nuuanu Avenue.
Police said Park was not in a crosswalk while crossing Nuuanu just south of Bates Street at about 5:15 a.m.
Honolulu Police Department Maj. Kurt Kendro, who heads the Traffic Division, said the area also has large trees, which may have made the area darker.
Park, who was in extremely critical condition, died at the hospital. The driver, a 52-year-old Kailua woman, was arrested at the scene for investigation of operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant and later for first-degree negligent homicide.
Park was the 10th pedestrian over the age of 64 to die this year on Oahu. In 2013 eight seniors died while walking on Oahu’s roadways.
Park’s death was also the 14th pedestrian fatality this year, placing Oahu on track to surpass last year’s 19 pedestrian fatalities, police said.
Rae said about 10 years ago seniors made up about 70 percent of pedestrian fatalities in Hawaii. But that rate dropped to about 30 percent for the past three or four years with increased awareness.
"We’re just really concerned right now because of this sudden increase in fatalities overall, but specifically with senior citizens," he said. "A lot of senior citizens, it’s hard for them to change the way they walk."
He said there are more distractions for drivers today than what seniors had to deal with, and seniors might not realize they are less agile. "They just can’t get there as quickly as they used to," he said. "Even though they think they still can, they can’t."
Rae said Walk Wise Hawaii teaches seniors that the countdown pedestrian signal is for people already in the crosswalk, not for people on the sidewalk rushing to the intersection. He said seniors also shouldn’t rush in the crosswalk, to avoid falling down.
Rae said the concern right now is for people walking at night or in the dark hours of early morning, which was when some of the recent pedestrian fatalities happened.
"Many of them may not have been seen or could have been seen better," he said. "If you’re walking at night, make sure you can be seen."
He urged walkers to wear reflective clothing, such as a bright orange reflective vest, or to attach a blinking light to their clothing as a bicyclist would.
"They’ll see that light before they see you," he said.
Relatives said Park was on his regular morning routine to pick up a newspaper at the Chevron on Nuuanu when he was hit.
"I’m actually upset," said his daughter Andrea Park. "My dad was doing what he always did, and it took a careless person to do this."
She said her father helped raise her 7-year-old daughter at their Huina Street home.
"I don’t think it’s hit her just yet," Park said. "I’m going to miss him."
Park’s family was surprised by reports that he had been jaywalking because Park was usually concerned about safety.
Regan Park, 49, of Kalihi said his uncle was known as "the No. 1 safety guy" while working as a carpenter at Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. Relatives said Park was also a veteran of the Vietnam and Korean wars and retired from Hawaiian Dredging about 20 years ago.
Regan Park cried while talking about the crash and said he hopes the driver learns a lesson if she was drinking and driving.
"I am the person I am because of him," he said. "We just lost someone good that had good family values, and taking that away from us was unjust."
Rae, of Walk Wise Hawaii, said seniors can receive a free Walk Wise Hawaii pedestrian safety presentation where they can get free blinking lights to clip onto their clothing by calling 535-9099.
During the presentation, attendees have to take the Walk Wise Hawaii pledge, promising "to always look left, to always look right, to always look left again, and continue looking while crossing the street."
Rae makes attendees promise to "never take it for granted they’re safe in a crosswalk," he said. "Always make sure that you are paying attention to your surroundings when you cross, from beginning to end."
