A 25-year-old woman was killed before dawn Sunday when a driver struck her on Kupuohi Street near Polina Place in Waipahu and kept going without stopping. The collision happened around 1:56 a.m., and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver has not been identified, and police are still searching for the vehicle involved.
According to Hawaii News Now, the unidentified motorist was traveling northbound on Kupuohi Street when the vehicle struck the woman as she was in the roadway outside a marked crosswalk. The driver then continued north without stopping to render aid or leave any information, police told the outlet. Investigators say speed does not appear to have been a factor, and it is not yet known whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash.
Hawaii law is unambiguous about what happens next if the driver is caught. Leaving the scene of a crash that results in death or serious injury is a Class B felony under Hawaii Revised Statutes § 291C-12, according to FindLaw, which carries penalties of up to 10 years in prison and fines reaching $50,000.
Pedestrian Right-of-Way Rules Outside Crosswalks
Because the victim was struck outside a marked crosswalk, the circumstances of the crash intersect with another section of state law. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes § 291C-73, pedestrians crossing a roadway anywhere other than within a marked crosswalk, or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, are required to yield the right-of-way to vehicles on the road, per the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. That legal standard does not change the fact that the driver is required to stop and render aid regardless of who had the right-of-way — a duty police say was not met here.
A Safety Campaign Already Underway
The fatal crash came amid a public-awareness push. HPD had announced an island-wide pedestrian safety initiative tied to National Pedestrian Safety Month, part of its broader Safer Roads, Together campaign launched with transportation and emergency medical partners. HPD's District 3 Community Policing Team was also set to participate in an iHeartMedia campaign focused on pedestrian safety and driver vigilance.
In fatal leaving-the-scene cases, investigators may check vehicle registration addresses and coordinate with supervisors. The department's Traffic Division Vehicular Homicide Section oversees hit-and-run fatality investigations like this one.
This is not the first time a hit-and-run has struck a pedestrian in Waipahu this year. In August, a separate hit-and-run critically injured a 54-year-old woman who was sitting in the backseat of a parked vehicle when a fleeing driver rear-ended it, as Hoodline previously reported. Statewide, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation estimates roughly 1,208 hit-and-run collisions occur each year, resulting in an average of three deaths annually, per Enjuris.
Fatalities Down Sharply From Last Year
The timing comes against a backdrop of improving numbers overall. Oahu traffic fatalities stood at 32 so far this year, compared with 68 at the same point in 2025, the station reported. That drop follows a brutal stretch for Hawaii roads: the state recorded 129 traffic fatalities in 2025, the highest annual total since 2007, with Oahu accounting for 82 of those deaths.
Sunday's crash was fatal despite the ongoing public-awareness push.
Anyone with information about the crash or the vehicle involved is urged to contact the HPD Traffic Division at (808) 723-3413. No suspect description or vehicle description had been released as the investigation continued.
