A 59-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman were seriously injured when their vehicle crashed into a tree on Ala Moana Boulevard near Ward Avenue. Honolulu EMS treated both patients at the scene before transporting them to an emergency room for further care.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that two people were seriously injured when a vehicle struck a tree near Ward Avenue.
This marks the second serious single-vehicle tree strike on this stretch of Ala Moana Boulevard in recent months. In August, a 16-year-old driver was hospitalized in serious condition after her car hit a tree near Piikoi Street, according to Hoodline's earlier coverage of that crash.
A Corridor With a History of Major Collisions
The stretch of roadway near Ward Avenue has seen other serious incidents in recent memory. In January, a multi-vehicle chain-reaction crash occurred at Ala Moana Boulevard and Ward Avenue, and a driver fled on foot. Honolulu Police Department traffic logs also document a critical motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian at Ala Moana Boulevard near Ward Avenue in February 2025.
Ala Moana Boulevard itself is classified as a six-lane divided principal urban arterial with a posted speed limit of 35 mph, per state transportation project documents. The roadway carries heavy vehicle traffic, with pedestrian and bicycle use expected along one stretch.
A Proposed Bridge Aimed to Improve Pedestrian Safety
A pedestrian bridge was proposed at Victoria Ward Park and Kewalo Basin Harbor.
Those investments trace back in part to a January 2019 crash near Ala Moana Boulevard and Kamakee Street that killed three pedestrians and injured five others after a vehicle veered into a traffic island, according to Honolulu Civil Beat. The crash helped spur Vision Zero legislation and a resolution to make the intersection safer.
Island-Wide Fatalities Down, But Arterials Remain High-Risk
Honolulu Police Department records show Oahu had recorded 32 traffic fatalities year-to-date as of Sunday, following a fatal incident in Waipahu earlier that morning. That figure follows a broader trend: HPD statistics showed 27 traffic fatalities through early September, a substantial decline from the 62 fatalities recorded during the same period in 2025.
Traffic-safety planning has addressed high-injury locations, and 320 traffic deaths were reported from 2015 to 2020. Sunday's crash into a fixed roadside object underscores that single-vehicle impacts remain a persistent hazard even as pedestrian-focused infrastructure expands along the corridor.
