Honolulu police are asking for the public’s help to find the person who struck and killed a Hawaii Pacific University student Sunday night. The City Medical Examiner identified the victim as 19-year-old Mariah Danforth-Moore, a sophomore from Wisconsin. Police say she was in a crosswalk on Kamehameha Highway, heading to her campus dorm about 8:45 P.M. when she was hit.
"We have witnesses that were there right after the fact and saw the vehicle leaving," said Maj. Kurt Kendro of the Honolulu Police Department. "We expect it to have front end damage but all we have is a white smaller sedan. There was debris left on the roadway that we’re still investigating."
HPU students have long voiced their concerns about the crosswalk including one who was the victim of a hit-and-run accident nearly two years ago. Maddi Ruhl was struck in almost the same spot in February 2009. Ruhl was angry when she learned about the death of HPU student Mariah Danforth-Moore a sophomore from Oneida, Wisconsin who was active in the HPU community.
"It’s really mortifying," said Ruhl. Like Danforth-Moore, Ruhl was returning to her on-campus dormitory when she was hit in this same crosswalk at 10 in the evening. "Hit and run again, it was a pretty big impact. Taken to Castle Medical Center same thing."
Ruhl suffered a leg injury and endured four months of rehabilitation but she knows she was lucky to survive. The hit and run driver was never tracked down.
"What we need to do to make sure that never happens again because if we do nothing it will happen again and again," said Ruhl.
"I think that something more could be done, perhaps like an actual stop light," said student Abraham Pineda.
But the state said an extensive traffic study revealed the crosswalk did not see the required pedestrian traffic, about 190 people per hour, to justify a signal light.
"This particular area didn’t hit that threshold but still we went ahead and we tried to address it as best we can and once again we’re open to talk to the university to any lawmakers," said State Transportation Department spokesman Dan Meisenzahl.
Last month, the state installed solar flashing lights at this crosswalk which alert approaching drivers someone is crossing.
"Cross street with caution, vehicles may not stop."
The lights are activated by the pedestrian.
"I’ve tried it and I’ve had people not stop," said Ruhl who doesn’t believe a traffic light is the answer either.
"To put another light right there that would be traffic-wise catastrophic so I understand the hesitation there," she said. "I honestly think that the best solution is to put a pedestrian overpass right there."
HPU administrators says they’ll meeting with the state, again.
"Yes, we’re going to do everything we can to meet with our state representatives and even Gov. Abercrombie," said John Kearns, HPU’s Vice President of Academic Affairs.
"We can’t just keep going back and forth and saying that’s their business, that’s their business, we need to figure out who’s business it is, sit down talk about it, open up a discussion get it to happen!" said Ruhl "Whatever needs to happen it can happen, we just have to get it to happen. Lives are at stake, you know young lives. This is such a huge loss of potential."
"We don’t need to lose anymore lives, really want something to be done," said student Precious Binas. "No more."
A candlelight vigil for Danforth-Moore will be held Monday night at 9 at HPU’s windward campus.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
