Two drunken-driving incidents in the last five days that claimed the lives of a 22-year-old woman and a prominent local playwright, and seriously injured a mother of two are prompting police to renew calls for sober driving this holiday season.

The latest death came early yesterday when Roelle K. Hoohuli, a 2003 graduate of Kamehameha Schools, drove off the H-1 Freeway, police said.

Police said Hoohuli lost control of her maroon 2006 Nissan Frontier pickup truck at 3:24 a.m. She drove off the right shoulder lane of the freeway and down a steep embankment, 614 feet west of the 'Ewa off ramp, police said.

The truck flipped over at least twice through brush and shrubs before landing wheels down, 186 feet north of the freeway.

Honolulu police found a bottle of tequila in Hoohuli's car, police said. Police Sgt. John Agno said alcohol "may have been" a factor. It is not known if drugs or speed also may have contributed to the crash.

Toxicology results from her autopsy have been deferred, according to the Office of the City Medical Examiner, so her blood-alcohol content was not available.

As a senior at Kamehameha, Hoohuli was co-captain of the varsity cheerleading squad that won the national small varsity division championship in Florida in February 2003. She was the sister of the 2006 Miss Hawai'i USA, Radasha E. Hoohuli, and former University of Hawai'i linebacker and Kamehameha standout Watson K. Hoohuli.

Hoohuli was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:54 a.m., Emergency Services spokesman Bryan Cheplic said.

She was not wearing a seatbelt and died of "cranial cerebral injuries due to motor vehicle collision," the medical examiner's office said.

The accident took place under cloudy, rainy skies and on a wet road, police said. All town-bound lanes just before the 'Ewa exit were closed after the accident, backing up traffic for several miles for commuters coming in from Kapolei and beyond.

All the lanes were reopened at 6:10 a.m.

Hoohuli's death is the 65th traffic death on O'ahu this year, compared with 87 at the same time last year. Of the 65 traffic deaths on O'ahu this year, 24 have been alcohol-related. Through October, police have made 3,268 drunken-driving arrests and are on pace to reach an eight-year high.

Meanwhile, the medical examiner's office yesterday said the blood-alcohol content for local author and playwright Lisa Y. Matsumoto was 0.242 at the time of her death, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08.

Police are still investigating how Matsumoto ended up driving the wrong way on the H-1 Freeway at 3:32 a.m. Friday before she collided head-on with a car being driven by a 35-year-old mother of two on her way home from work.

The woman Matsumoto hit, Cassie Olaivar, remains hospitalized at The Queen's Medical Center with head injuries, and a broken right leg and ankle.

The two alcohol-related deaths, police said, are a warning for motorists to avoid drinking and driving.

Honolulu police Capt. Frank T. Fujii said police are still seeking more information about where Matsumoto and Hoohuli were and what they were doing in the hours leading up to their deaths.

"This is the holiday season, and there are families out there whose lives are shattered. Enough is enough. Please don't drink and drive, please don't speed, and if you care about someone and you know they have been drinking, show how much you care and take away their keys," Fujii said. "We're tired of this. If anyone saw anything or knows anything about the accidents or the activities leading up to the fatalities, please give us a call. Be a friend."

Hoohuli worked as a bartender at Outback Steakhouse in Kapolei and had attended a company Christmas party Monday night in the area of Campbell Industrial Park, police said.

In addition to her siblings, she is survived by her parents, Hoku and Wayne J. Hoohuli.

A representative for the Hawai'i chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said the deaths could have been prevented.

"We don't understand what is happening. This holiday season has been (already) an especially tragic time, and it should be a time of family and friends getting together," said Carol H. McNamee. "It's completely preventable. We're not saying don't enjoy the season, but make plans not to get behind the wheel. Everybody needs to plan ahead and get a sober driver."

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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