Kaopuiki v. Kealoha - punitive damages and drunk driving
Personal Injury News Items
The lead case on the recovery of punitive damages for drunk driving in Hawaii is the case of Kaopuiki v. Kealoha, 104 Hawai'i 241, 87 P.3d 910 (Hawai'i App. 2003). In that case a drunk driver died in the head-on car crash which he caused by crossing the center line - an accident which also injured others. In that case the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals recognized a new purpose for the recovery of punitive damages - "facilitating the recovery of a plaintiff's attorneys fees". On this basis the Hawaii court found that punitive damages could be recovered not only against a drunk driver but even against a deceased drunk driver's estate.
On August 12, 2025, a deadly crash happened in Florida when an illegal immigrant named Harjinder Singh driving a commercial truck made an illegal U-turn on a freeway - killing 3. The accident resulted in criticism of the states of Washington and California for their commercial driver licensing policies which issued a CDL to an illegal immigrant who could not speak English and had flunked the CDL test 10 times. Another similar fatal crash took place in California on October 21, 2025, when another illegal immigrant, Jashanpreet Singh, driving a commercial truck failed to even brake as he crashed into the back of a line of stopped traffic - killing 3. He also had been given a CDL by Gavin Newsom's DMV. Three dead after illegal immigrant driving a commercial truck causes freeway mayhem
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