It is highly unlikely that Hawaii roads will ever be completely free of collisions. Where there is traffic, there are car accidents, many of which result in serious injuries or death. One such tragedy recently occurred that involved a stolen vehicle, multiple fatalities, and critical injuries to a survivor.
Some time after noon on a recent Thursday, police received a call reporting a stolen vehicle. A man said his friend had been sleeping in his parked car, but it had since vanished. Officers apparently considered the situation as a possible kidnapping.
After locating the vehicle en route, police attempted to pull the car over. It appears that when an officer approached the car, the driver fled the scene. Police pursued the vehicle and, once again, came upon it on the road, this time in a pile of wreckage. A witness later said the car had gone across the center line of traffic and smashed head-on into another vehicle.
Both the driver and a passenger in the allegedly stolen car were killed in the crash (the car owner’s friend had reportedly exited the vehicle just before it was stolen). A woman in the second vehicle was critically injured and transported to a local hospital for emergency care. There have been similar car accidents in Hawaii where those deemed responsible did not survive, but others who did were seriously injured. In such cases, it is possible for recovering victims to file personal injury claims against the estates of those believed to have caused their injuries; however, such situations are often complicated and best addressed through experienced counsel.
Source: khon2.com, “Teenage boy, woman killed in Hawaii Island crash involving stolen vehicle”, Aug. 4, 2016