Christian Lipka dies in fatal North Kona pedestrian collision
Fatal North Kona pedestrian collision death of Christian Lipka – Obituary
Early Monday morning, police contacted a motorist after he reportedly struck and killed a pedestrian in Kona and then left his vehicle behind.
The abandoned green 2015 Subaru Forester had collided with a 38-year-old man from Kailua-Kona near the intersection of Kaloko and Honokohau on Queen Kaahumanu Highway.
Authorities traced the vehicle’s registration to Garrett Aadom Duran, a 34-year-old resident of Keauhou.
Shortly after, officers reached out to Duran, who claimed he was at the south end of Kanalani Street, roughly a block from the accident site. Witnesses had described a man resembling Duran leaving the scene.
When police located Duran, he appeared disoriented, with slurred speech, bloodshot, watery eyes, and a noticeable odor of alcohol. He declined to take a sobriety test.
Duran was arrested, and his blood was tested by Clinical Labs of Hawaii following the issuance of a warrant. Duran, who previously lived in Ontario, California, and holds a California driver’s license, faces charges including first-degree negligent homicide, DUI, leaving the scene of an accident with death or serious injury, and driving without insurance.
Christian Lipka, who died at Kona Community Hospital shortly after the crash, was identified as the victim. Lipka had recently relocated to Kona from Hilo, previously lived in Kahului, Maui, and was originally from Hollywood, Florida. His Facebook profile indicated he worked as a “digital creator.”
While Duran has no felony convictions, he does have a prior DUI offense within the past 15 years. County Prosecutor Kelden Waltjen noted that the negligent homicide charge combined with the previous DUI constitutes a Class A felony, potentially punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The charge for leaving the scene of an accident involving death or serious injury is a Class B felony, carrying a possible 10-year sentence.
During Duran’s initial court appearance, Deputy Public Defender Lezlie Kiaha advocated for supervised release, a form of cashless bail, based on a recommendation from the Intake Service Center. However, Deputy Prosecutor Matthew Woodward requested that Kona District Judge Mahilani Hiatt maintain Duran’s bail at $106,000. Judge Hiatt agreed, and Duran is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Friday.
Duran remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Fatal North Kona pedestrian collision death of Christian Lipka – Obituary Early Monday morning, police contacted a motorist after he reportedly struck and killed a pedestrian in Kona and then left his vehicle behind. The abandoned green 2015 Subaru Forester had collided with a 38-year-old man from Kailua-Kona near the intersection of Kaloko and Honokohau…
Fatal North Kona pedestrian collision death of Christian Lipka – Obituary Early Monday morning, police contacted a motorist after he reportedly struck and killed a pedestrian in Kona and then left his vehicle behind. The abandoned green 2015 Subaru Forester had collided with a 38-year-old man from Kailua-Kona near the intersection of Kaloko and Honokohau…