A 65-year-old Kapaa man was arrested Friday by Kauai police after a truck hit two pedestrians in a crosswalk Monday in Kapaa, killing a 50-year-old woman who had worked at the island’s COVID-19 testing facility.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent injury and inattention to driving. He was released from police custody while the investigation continues, according to the Kauai Police Department.
A preliminary investigation found that the two women were hit Monday evening by a Chevrolet pickup truck traveling southbound on Kuhio Highway near mile marker 9.
Tanya Hall died Thursday as a result of her injuries.
Kauai Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he was grateful for the opportunity to get to work with and know Hall at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall’s COVID-19 testing facility.
“The one thing that I recognized was that she radiated a sense of care for people and for the island,” said Kawakami. “From the very beginning, her calling was to make sure that the island was safe. This is a huge loss, and our hearts and prayers are with Tanya’s family and her many friends on this island.”
As of Friday, a GoFundMe page for Hall had raised $20,562 to help her family. Hall is survived by three children, her parents and sisters, according to the page.
“Her injuries caused by the tragic accident of her innocently walking across the highway in the dimly lit crosswalk in Kapaa town were too much for her body to endure,” said Jennifer Antony, the page’s organizer, in a post on the GoFundMe page. “Her family of many were at her bedside as she peacefully passed. Fly with the angels now our beloved Tanya. Forever you will be in our hearts.”
The second pedestrian, a 52-year-old California woman, remains hospitalized with injuries, police said. Her name has not been released and she remains at Wilcox Medical Center in stable condition but is expected to recover.
Speeding and impairment are not suspected factors in the crash, but the investigation is open and ongoing, police said.
Kauai County Council member Felicia Cowden told the Star-Advertiser there have been “too many injuries and fatalities” in that area.
“We need (a) flashing crosswalk and a street light,” said Cowden. “I am working on it.”
On Monday, Kuhio Highway was closed in both directions for about 90 minutes while officers with the Traffic Safety Section conducted an investigation of the incident.
The Visitor Aloha Society of Kauai, a nonprofit that provides emergency assistance to tourists, helped the family of the California woman, police said.
This was the eighth traffic fatality for Kauai this year.
The state Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to Star-Advertiser questions about pedestrian safety on the section of highway where Hall suffered fatal injuries.
