LIHU‘E — Two weeks ago, Kealia resident Travis Long collided with a pedestrian in a moped accident while riding the shoulder of Kuhio Highway.
The Kaua‘i Police Department confirmed Long died on May 15 as a result of the May 13 collision. His death is the second traffic fatality of the year.
Long, 34, was driving southbound on Kuhio Highway near the Kaua‘i Beach Resort when he came into contact with a male pedestrian walking south on the shoulder of the highway. Long then lost control of the moped and crashed around 8 p.m., according to the KPD.
Both men were transported to Wilcox Medical Center for treatment and later medevacked to Queens Medical Center in O‘ahu in critical condition.
Long died as a result of his injuries. The unnamed 28-year-old pedestrian was released after treatment and has returned to Kaua‘i.
Long, a Big Island native, owned a mobile moped-repair business while in Maui, according to his Facebook page.
According to his Maui’s Mobile Moped Mechanic website, Long was a certified small-engine specialist from the Stafford Career Institute specializing in 50cc to 150cc mopeds.
“I come to you to diagnose your moped, in any shape it’s in. Let’s get it working again so you can ride another day,” Long wrote.
Mandy Camelo and her husband met Long recently, and remembers him fondly.
“Travis was a very outgoing person, great personality, easy to get along with, hard worker, and is willing to help others even if it was his last dime in his pocket,” Camelo said.
Long was not wearing a helmet, and a toxicology report is pending. The KPD initially reported that both men were riding the moped.
The first fatality of the year occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 1 in Hanapepe, involving motorcyclist Shawn Parraga and an ambulance.
Everyone who lives here has had a close call with pedestrians walking along the road at night. I’ve seen people walking less than a foot away from the roadway in the dark in the rain and of course they’re always wearing dark clothes or even camouflage! Basically dressed to be invisible at night. The lack of actual sidewalks means I see Mr Neck Tattoo walking up the hill in the dark every night. Not surprising that there’s going to be injuries even fatalities with this being the situation. Drive carefully and hope you don’t hit the well- hidden pedestrians.