Local playwright Lisa Y. Matsumoto had at least twice the legal level of alcohol in her blood when she drove the wrong way on the H-1 Freeway early Friday morning, causing a head-on collision that seriously injured another driver and killed Matsumoto, officials said.

Matsumoto, 43, died from "blunt force injuries of the neck due to motor vehicle collision," and "acute alcohol intoxication" played a factor in the fatal accident, according to the Office of the City Medical Examiner. Acute alcohol intoxication means Matsumoto's blood- alcohol concentration was at least twice the legal limit of .08 percent.

"We're really hurting and trying to heal," Matsumoto's older sister, Leigh Y. Sturgeon, said yesterday. "We're trying to piece together the puzzle and trying to figure out what happened. We're in the dark about a lot of things."

Services for Matsumoto will be sometime early next year, a family member said last night.

Roslyn Catracchia, a friend of Lisa Matsumoto, read a statement from the family to the media last night:

"Our family is devastated by this tragedy," Catracchia read. "We love Lisa and will miss her deeply. We'll always remember her not only for the legacy of contributions she has left all of us but more for her very giving and caring heart that she has always shown us, as well as anyone who came in contact with her.

"We respectfully request that you would honor our family's desire for privacy at this time to grieve, to heal and to make sense of this tragedy."

POLICE ASK FOR HELP

Police are still investigating how Matsumoto's vehicle ended up traveling against traffic on H-1 west-bound, east of the Kalihi Street overpass, at about 3:32 a.m. Friday. They issued a public appeal for more information on the incident, but had not received any tips as of 5 p.m. yesterday.

Police received at least three 911 calls of a car matching the description of Matsumoto's vehicle traveling the wrong way on the freeway prior to the collision, police said.

The 911 recordings will not be released to the public until the Police Department's investigation is complete, police said. The investigation is not a criminal one because Matsumoto died, so the results of the collision probe will only be released to the parties involved, police said.

With Matsumoto's death, 23 of the 64 traffic deaths on O'ahu this year are alcohol-related.

"This is just so sad and I hope we have no more of this during the holidays," said Honolulu police Maj. Susan Dowsett, head of the department's traffic division. "I can say the same message and we can keep arresting people, but we are asking everyone, if you're going to go out and have a drink, please, don't drive and please have a designated driver.

"These deaths are completely preventable," Dowsett said. "No one ever thinks it is going to happen to them or impact them, but it does happen."

The Office of the City Medical Examiner described Matsumoto's condition as "acute alcohol intoxication," which the National Institutes of Health defines as synonymous with alcohol poisoning. Symptoms can include confusion, stupor and coma.

Zan Timtim, a friend of Matsumoto's for more than 20 years, said she cannot believe how the playwright and author died.

"It's highly surprising to me. It's heartbreaking," said Timtim. "I know Lisa, and what a wonderful person she was."

Through October, police have made 3,268 drunken-driving arrests, compared with 3,432 last year, 3,282 in 2005 and 3,009 in 2004.

From 2001 to 2005, there were 674 traffic fatalities statewide. Of that, 303, or 45 percent, were alcohol-related deaths.

Several celebrities, including three stars of ABC's "Lost" series, have been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.

"Lost" actor Daniel Dae Kim registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.168 when he was arrested in November, police said. "Lost" cast member Michelle Rodriguez had a blood-alcohol level of 0.17 when she was arrested in November 2006, and co-star Cynthia Watros, who was arrested in the same incident, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10.

Others include radio and TV host James H. "Kimo" Kahoano, whose blood-alcohol content was more than 0.2 when he was arrested in November.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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