LIHUE — A man was killed in what police said was a hit-and-run accident in Kalaheo Sunday night and a search is underway to find the driver and vehicle involved.
Just after 11 p.m. Sunday, a Kauai Police Department officer was driving home when he discovered a man’s body on Halewili Road.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the man, possibly in his mid-20s, was walking in the eastbound lane of Halewili Road when he was apparently struck by a westbound vehicle.
Police have narrowed a description of the vehicle believed to be involved based on debris at the scene. It is described as a silver Nissan Frontier truck, with four-wheel drive, made between 1994 and 2004. The vehicle would have significant damage to the front passenger-side bumper and fender flare, according to a county press release.
KPD is asking for anyone with information about this incident to call the Traffic Safety Section at 241-1618. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call CrimeStoppers at 246-8300.
Halewili Road was closed in both directions from about 11:20 p.m. Sunday to 3:45 a.m. Monday to allow KPD’s Traffic Safety Section to investigate the scene.
The man’s body was transported to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The man has not yet been identified. An autopsy is pending.
In January, a 12-year-old girl was hit by a driver and left on the side of the road in Hanamaulu. She was later found by a passerby and transported to Wilcox Medical Center and then flown to Oahu.
Arayza Sabay has made a remarkable recovery, but hasn’t healed completely from her injuries.
It took months to complete the investigation, but 59-year old Virgil Caday was arrested and charged on four counts relating to the accident and a jury trial is scheduled Dec. 3.
A fatal hit-and-run more than two years ago remains unsolved.
In April 2016, Eric Anthony Schorr, 48, of Wailua, was killed after he was reportedly struck by a dark-colored pickup truck as he was walking on Kapule Highway.
There have been not been any arrests made in the case.
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KPD is continuing to investigate Sunday’s accident.
Bethany Freudenthal, Crime, courts and county reporter, 652-7891, bfreudenthal@thegardenisland.com
Not sure how someone traveling west can accidentally hit someone walking east on that empty road… last time someone was killed walking on that road they had been in a fight with the driver earlier in the evening
How could they (KPD) report all those (Silver Nissan truck and a four wheel drive) information from the little debris present? For all we know, “it could be debris from an accident awhile back that got swept to the east side lane/shoulder of the Halewili Road.”
Could it be that the officer isn’t a suspect. Because there isn’t any damage to his/ her vehicle? If both (Officer and victim) was going in the same direction. It would have been a clean run over without leaving damage to the vehicle, Wouldn’t you think!
@Manong, please don’t bash the police. They are not all corrupt. Sure, the story as reported in this article has holes, but perhaps you have drawn your conclusion based on what could be faulty info (this article)? The patrol car/officer vehicle was probably the first thing investigators looked at for damage consistent with a pedestrian accident. Besides, if the officer hit the pedestrian, why would he call it in?
This is a tragedy… the man is so young! While we don’t know all the details, and it’s not adding up, the fact remains that someone is dead and whoever did it, remains at large. Kaua’i is small, and surely, someone must know something.
How quickly they forget?! Two years ago an officer ran over a young man near Kaumakani Avenue. It was never reported by the Officer. It was the witnesses there who called it in. To top it off, ” the Officer got cleared of all charges.”
Yet before that in the 1990s, west of Hanapepe. An Officer ran and dragged a cane field worker off the shoulder and into the cane field. ( yep! you guessed it . Officer got away and back on the force)
So T.C. that where my suspicion came in on this (Halewili Road) accident.
Vehicle impact results in damage to vehicle, so I doubt your theory that the officer is responsible. Often, paint fragments are present on the pedestrian, so maybe they determined the car’s color this way. The County press release states the areas of damage to the suspect vehicle, likely consistent with the injuries observed on the pedestrian. Go research imprint abrasions, and you will see that there are probably clues right there on the pedestrian.
The level of forensic skills it takes to produce such specific details like that from debris is so advanced that it read like a good “Forensic Files” episode! And in those cases it takes months of analyzing by the forensic guys at the FBI labs, but KPD figured it out in 1 day!! AMAZING job officers! So how come the rate for solving murders on Kauai is 0%??? I’ll tell you why, cause they are full of sh#@!!!