Department of Transportation

Motorist hit and killed while attending to his broken-down car on H-1 Freeway

Ben and Dolores Lum had been married for more than 60 years. They were killed on the H-1 Freeway last week Thursday in what has been a deadly start to August.

The Lums leave behind three sons, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

“It’s important for us to know who the Lums are, not just numbers but good people know and loved. This is the true cost of senseless. A local couple killed in an instant leaving behind children, grandkids, and a great-grandchild,” said Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen, “We must do better on our roads. Driving your car today can be one of the most dangerous things you do if not in the right mindset. It requires your attention, awareness, and consideration. Everyone should expect that they and their loved ones will get to their destination alive.”

And the Lums are not the only kūpuna who have been killed on Hawai‘i roads in this brand new month. Lui and Lena Williams, ages 81 and 75, respectively, were killed last Wednesday in a head-on collision along Honoapiʻilani Highway on Maui.

On the same day the Lums were tragically taken a 68-year-old man was killed riding his bicycle on Kalaniana‘ole Highway in Waimānalo. This followed a bicyclist who was killed on July 27 when a truck overtook several vehicles and bicyclists in a no-passing area on Maui.

Just yesterday, a 46-year-old man was killed while attending to his broken-down car on the side of the H-1 Freeway, killed when another car slammed into his vehicle.

There have been eight deaths on Hawaii roads in August involving everything from head-on collisions to bicyclists being run over, and pedestrians being hit. Most of the deaths were attributable to preventable human behavior.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation urges all drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians to please use extreme caution when out on our roads. Drive as if lives depend on you.

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