PROTECTING THE LEGAL INTERESTS OF INJURED HAWAII RESIDENTS AND VISITORS SINCE 1973

Alcohol allegedly a factor in fatal car-skateboard accident

On Behalf of | May 30, 2014 | Car Accidents |

Anyone who operates a motor vehicle on the road is responsible for watching for pedestrians, cyclists and others who share the road. Accidents involving pedestrians often result in severe injuries or death, and it can fall to grieving family members to seek some measure of legal justice in the wake of a fatal pedestrian accident.

A driver from Laie is expected to face charges of drunk driving and negligent homicide after a fatal collision with a skateboarder from Honolulu. The accident happened at 12:40 a.m. on May 18 in Kaaawa. A concrete barrier on the roadway has become a memorial to the skateboarder who perished in the crash.

Police ruled out speed as a factor in the accident, noting that both 24-year-old men involved in the collision appeared to have been under the influence of alcohol. According to police, the skateboarder and the driver were heading in the same direction down Kamehameha Highway toward Kahuku. The accident occurred approximately 60 feet south of where the highway intersects with Keo Place, and the driver was uninjured in the crash.

The driver was later released from police custody pending further investigation.

After a fatal auto accident, it is extremely important to consider all possible factors that may have caused the death. The evidence gathered in a criminal investigation can bolster any civil claims a grieving family may bring against a negligent driver. An attorney with experience in wrongful death and negligence claims can also investigate every aspect of the collision to determine liability.

Source: Hawaii News Now, “Man arrested for drunk driving after fatal accident with skateboarder,” Ben Gutierrez, May 19, 2014

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