--Pedestrian involved in fatal crash identified-- LIHUE – Police have identified the pedestrian who was struck and killed Saturday night along Kaumuali‘i Highway in Kaumakani as 19-year-old Michael Kocher, Jr. of Hanapēpē. According to a preliminary report, Kocher was walking on the roadway at around 9:35 p.m., just east of the Kaumakani Post Office, when he was struck by an eastbound Toyota Corolla. A police officer responding to the scene, also heading east, then struck the man a second time. Responding medics confirmed that Kocher had no vital signs and was presumed dead at the scene. He was later transported to Wilcox Hospital, where a medical doctor formally pronounced him dead, as is standard protocol. An autopsy is scheduled for later this week. This crash remains under investigation and anyone who may have information on Kocher’s whereabouts prior to the crash Saturday evening is urged to contact police. This is Kaua‘i’s first traffic fatality of 2015. ###
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 02:22:24 +0000