EWA GENTRY (HawaiiNewsNow) – A 14-year-old boy died after he was hit by a car while riding an electric motorbike Wednesday morning in Ewa Beach.
Just before 7:45 a.m., police say the teen boy was on the bike crossing the street at the intersection of Kolowaka Drive and Fort Weaver Road. Police say he was in a marked crosswalk, but going against a ‘do not walk’ signal.
That’s when investigators say he was hit by a 75-year-old driver.
“As a parent, I feel for the family, you know, mom and dad,” said council member Augie Tulba, who represents portions of Ewa Beach. “We passed laws to make sure that everyone in our community is safe, so whenever we have any kind of loss, I’m human just like everybody else, and it just breaks my heart.”
The boy was transported to the hospital in critical condition, where he died. The driver stayed at the scene and the road was closed for several hours for the investigation.
Investigators said the 14-year-old was not wearing a helmet.
His name hasn’t been released, but a letter sent home to families confirmed he was a student at Campbell High School.
“When I heard about it, I felt pretty bad. Felt sad that someone got hit, because it was just a normal, happy day,” Campbell student Dino Dela-Cruz said.
Another student, Braden Noah Banasihan, added, “It just felt very sudden to get that email. My friend told me to check my email and, oh shoot. I didn’t expect that at all.”
“It was truly unfortunate. I got the news in my third period class and it was actually heartbreaking,” student Grace Carama said.
Campbell principal Jon Henry Lee sent condolences to the family and offered grief counseling to students and staff.
Earlier this year, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi signed into law Bill 52, which established safety guidelines.
It limited street-legal e-bikes to 750 watts of power, required helmets for riders under 18 years of age, and outlawed dangerous acts like wheelies and stunts.
In Honolulu, the legal age to operate a low-speed e-bike is 15.
Council member Tulba said parents and the community should take more responsibility in the safety of young riders and children.
“I know we don’t want to get involved, but maybe it’s time for us to roll down the window and go, ‘Hey, where’s your helmet?’ And parents, we have to be more mindful of that,” he said.
E-bikes and similar rides remain a popular mode of transportation, especially for Ewa Beach students. There were a number of young riders in the bike lane and on the sidewalks along Fort Weaver Road just hours after the crash, most without helmets.
“I choose not to wear one because I don’t really have the money for it, besides it’s easier to see around when I don’t have one,” Dela Cruz said.
Tulba also encourages parents to speak to their children.
“We don’t want to see any more people get hurt or lose their life because of something we could have stopped from happening,” Tulba said.
Police say neither speed, drugs, nor alcohol were factors in this crash. This was Oahu’s 54th traffic fatality, compared to 26 at the same time last year.
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