Oahu’s 53rd traffic fatality of the year claimed the life of an 86-year-old woman on Dec. 1, according to local sources. Hawaiian car accidents have killed far too many people this year, with this woman being the latest victim. So far, police have not filed charges against the driver involved in the accident.
Records indicate the woman was crossing a street outside of a designated crosswalk when the accident occurred. Apparently, she was struck by a 55-year-old man driving a pickup truck. Paramedics responded to the scene and found her in critical condition at the side of the road, and she was rushed to a local hospital. Unfortunately, she later succumbed to her injuries.
Police do not believe speed or alcohol played a role in the accident. However, it is still unclear why the driver did not stop to accommodate the pedestrian. Her exact cause of death is also waiting to be confirmed pending an autopsy by a local coroner’s office in Pearl City.
State law in Hawaii generally requires pedestrians to observe specifically-denoted safe zones for passing through traffic. This is particularly true in cases of car accidents where pedestrians are struck and injured or killed. Even if a pedestrian is not in a marked crosswalk, personal injury or wrongful death claims may still be appropriate if evidence of negligence suggests the driver was all or partly responsible for the accident. In this case, the family of the deceased woman may benefit from seeking an independent investigation, with legal support, of the underlying facts to assess their right to pursue a claim. If so, they may choose to litigate a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver of the truck.
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “Woman who died after hit by car in Pearl City identified”, Dec. 2, 2014