Motorcyclist killed in Halawa Heights crash identified
The city Department of the Medical Examiner has identified Jonathan Pons, 23, of Kapolei, as the motorcyclist who died Saturday evening after colliding with a car on Halawa Heights Road at the intersection of Iwaiwa Street.
Police said Pons apparently was speeding up Halawa Heights Road when a white 1993 Toyota Camry station wagon attempted to cross Iwaiwa Street from east to west and was broadsided just prior to 6:30 p.m. by the 2007 Honda motorcycle Pons was operating.
Police investigators said Pons swerved into the downhill or south-bound lane of Halawa Heights Road in an apparent attempt to avoid the collision but hit the station wagon, which was being driven by a 16-year-old girl with a learner’s permit, in the middle of the left side.
Pons was taken to The Queen’s Medical Center and pronounced dead at 7:18 p.m.
Police said the girl’s 36-year-old uncle from California was in the car, which made it legal for her to be behind the wheel.
Also in the car were four boys, one of them 13, one 12 and two of them 10 years old.
The 13-year-old, who was riding in the left-rear passenger seat was taken to Queen’s in critical condition and remained hospitalized there this morning, police said.
Pons’ death was the 53rd traffic fatality of 2009 on Oahu compared with 44 at the same time last year. He was the second motorcyclist killed in the span of three days.