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| Joshua deGuzman and deGuzman’s girlfriend, Kassandra Kim |
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| Ryan Tuazon |
A family member identified the three people who died in a single-car crash in Ewa as Ryan Tuazon, Joshua deGuzman and deGuzman’s girlfriend, Kassandra Kim.
At about 8 p.m. Thursday, a 2010 Scion was traveling westbound on the highway when it lost control and flipped over. Police said the vehicle struck a concrete pillar that supports the rail guideway.
The car burst into flames upon impact.
Honolulu police Lt. Andre Peters said, “The whole interior of the vehicle is gutted.”
Police said the car was traveling at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control, and the car likely struck the curb along Farrington Highway just west of Old Fort Weaver Road, before flipping over and crashing into a concrete support pillar for the rail guideway.
The mangled car landed on its roof, with its tires in the air, on a grassy area on the mauka side of the roadway.
The victims in the crash were so badly charred that emergency responders initially could not say whether they were male or female, police said.
Peters said because of the rail project, the roadway had been closed along Farrington Highway, and had just recently reopened.
Tuazon and deGuzman, both 27, and Kim were pronounced dead at the scene.
Kim and deGuzman have a 9-month old son. These are the 23rd, 24th and 25th traffic-related fatalities on Oahu compared to 28 at the same time last year.
More idiot young persons drinking and doing drugs and speeding and reaching their final destination at an early time. We know that the male brain does not mature until the mid- to late 20s; so, stupid stunts like that are not uncommon. Darwin's Law at work here. Learn and live: SPEED KILLS.
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Family and loved ones are mourning the loss of three friends who died in a fiery crash in Ewa Thursday night.
It happened at around 8 p.m. on Farrington Highway next to Kahi Mohala Behavioral Health Center.
Lt. Andre Peters with HPD’s Traffic Division said the 2010 Scion was speeding when it “flipped and collided with concrete pillar. All occupants were trapped in vehicle when it sparked, when it caught fire.”
Crews extinguished the fire and found three victims, the driver, front seat passenger and backseat passenger, who were pronounced dead at the scene.
Family members identified them as Ryan Tuazon, 27, Josh DeGuzman, 27, and DeGuzman’s girlfriend, Kassandra Kim. The couple leaves behind a 9-month-old child.
Ryan Tuazon (Photo: Tuazon family) Tuazon’s parents first learned the horrible news after receiving a visit from police officers shortly after the crash.
When Angela Tuazon saw two police officers on her doorstep, her heart sank.
“I let them in. Officer, one lady, one man. I tell them, ‘Look at me in the eye. Tell me if my son is still alive. You’re not here for no reason,'” she said.
The family also received a call from the medical examiner, who asked for Tuazon’s dental records, because his body was badly burned in the crash.
Reality is sinking in for the Tuazon family, who says the electrician by trade will be missed.
“My son is a good boy. No problem to my boy. He comes home, lie down, watch TV, Playstation, that’s all,” Angela Tuazon said. “I’m waiting for him to come home. My son is not dead. I ain’t going to admit that.”
Police believe Tuazon was the driver. His family spoke with the DeGuzmans after receiving the news.
Josh deGuzman’s father, Mike DeGuzman, told KHON2, “Police called them saying Ryan got into an accident. Then right there, everything just added up into my head, because I knew there was a car crash. Three people died, and I knew there were three people in the car. I put two and two together, and I started to cry.”
Kassandra Kim, son Kaleb, and Josh deGuzman (Photo: deGuzman family) “They grew up together, kindergarten all the way to high school. They remained friends all this time, to this day. They did everything together,” said Mike DeGuzman, who is a member of the Society of Seven entertainers.
Mike DeGuzman says his son shared his love for music, and showed us his personal ukulele imprinted with his middle name, Ikaika.
“Ikaika means strength, and that was my boy,” he said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page for the couple’s son, Kaleb Kekoa.
“I wish I could bring them back, him and Kassie,” Mike DeGuzman said. “She was a lovely lady. Very caring, great mom, great girlfriend, future wife. He made me so proud so many times. He made me really proud.”
Police shut down Farrington Highway in both directions between Kahi Mohala and The Queen’s Medical Center West to investigate and clear the scene. The road was reopened just after midnight.
Police are still investigating what exactly led up to the crash.
These are the 23rd, 24th and 25th traffic fatalities of 2017, compared to 28 last year.
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EWA BEACH, OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
Speed is believed to be a factor in a fiery, single-car crash in Ewa Beach on Thursday night that killed three people.
Family and friends identified the victims as Joshua deGuzman and Kassandra Kim, who had a 9-month-old son together, and their good friend Ryan Tuazon. All three were in their late 20s.
On Facebook, deGuzman's sister wrote a painful tribute to those who were lost and pledged to help take care of the couple's child.
"To my baby brother, I love you," wrote Michele Hokulani Markwith on a GoFundMe page established for the couple's son. "And I will carry you in my heart until we meet again."
Markwith also told Hawaii News Now that her brother was "caring, very kind, very patient."
"He had a lot of aloha for everyone he met," she said.
Tuazon's mother, Angela, said she hasn't yet come to grips that her son is gone.
"To me, I feel like he's just at work; he never come home yet," she said. "My son is a good loving person, no trouble. He's too young to die."
The crash happened about 8 p.m. on Farrington Highway near Kahi Mohala.
Honolulu police said a 2010 Scion was traveling westbound on Farrington when the driver apparently lost control, causing the car to flip over before slamming into a concrete pillar and catching fire.
Traffic investigators said the driver, front and rear passengers were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
Officials said the crash happened during clear weather, which is why they suspect speed may be a factor.
The speed limit in that stretch of Farrington Highway is 35 mph.
Lanes were shut down during the investigation, but they have since been reopened.
The deaths mark the 23rd, 24th and 25th traffic-related fatalities this year compared to 28 this same time last year.