Paradise Driver: A FLAWED END

Saturday, July 21, 2007

A FLAWED END

TO A FRIDAY NIGHT

radio traffic at 0139 hrs, 2007-07-21:
#21 (TMR): "Theres a dead body in front of FoodLand."
DISPATCH (me): "Are the police on scene?"
#21: "Yes. Its lying in the street in front of FoodLand."

I am approaching the scene. Foodland is the property due north of the "Triangle". We circulate this area at bar close to try and find "flags". It was bar close and the area was flooded with drunks. Most walking to the "scene" to see a body. Typical "lookie-loos".

I inched my way through the madhouse of cops and jaywalkers and parked at my usual spot. The bus stop in the FoodLand parking lot. After I arrived, the cops finally blocked off traffic on South Kihei Road. Diverting passage through the parking lot and around the back of the MPD Kihei District Station. #21 ("Crazy" Brian) said he had seen the paramedics doing CPR, and that it was a 20-something female. I saw them loading a shroud wrapped body into the rear of the "meatwagon" but no extraordinary measures were being performed. It was almost 10 minutes before the ambulance started rolling "emergency" to MMMC. Must have found the faintest of life signs. Its a minimum of a 20-minute trip from the incident scene to MMMC. When I finished my shift, the roadway was still closed. Roads are only closed for that long if it is a "fatal".

The photo was taken from the FoodLand bus stop, looking NW.

I have no information as to what happened.

Auto/Ped collision?
Murder?

Since this is Saturday, the paper won't have anything about it until Monday. If it was a "fatal" then the TV news should cover it on this evening's telecast, but I'll be at work. I'll update this story when I get more.

***

It was my night to be the "phone jockey". 8 cabs on duty (3 "day" 5 "night"). By midnight there were just 3 of us left. Since it was Friday night, we "humped".

On Thursday night I had picked up 2 guys from the "Triangle", headed to the Kea Lani. Along the way I asked my usual question about where they were from. The one with an English accent told me to guess. I did and was pretty close. I told him that he sounded like he was from somewhere along the Mersey River, in England. He was from Manchester.

The other one was American, with a "Broadcast Standard" accent like me. Turned out that he was from Texas but is a "voice-over" announcer in Hollywood. Hetold me that when he has a couple of cocktails that the "Texas" in him comes out in his speech patterns.

Last night, about 1:15a, I picked them both up again. They were accompanied by another male and an attractive lady. The Yank remembered me and was telling the third guy, who was riding "shotgun", about how I had nailed where the English guy was from. So the new guy tried me. I listened to him for a few seconds and then said that he was from Greenwich Village, NYC. I was about 20 blocks off. He was from "Hell's Kitchen". He is a producer that hires voice-over talent. While he said I had a fantastic voice, he didn't offer me any work. Oh, and the Yank's "Texas" accent was in its full glory. Near Dallas, I'd say.

I almost forgot. I got a trip to Lahaina last night.

12 fares / 152 miles / 2nd quarter $200 bracket

***

It looks like I'll be dispatching again this Sunday but things are still in flux. I'll know for sure tonight.

Mahalo

Aloha

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