LIHUE, Hawaii (KHON2) — A former Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguard was air lifted to Oahu after being involved in a hit and run on Kauai earlier this week.
Family members of Kailon Tyndzik said he was skateboarding home on Nawiliwili Road when he was hit by a car and left for dead on the side of the road.
The Kauai native moved to Oahu when he was a teen and joined the Ocean Safety team, before he went back to Kauai to be closer to family a few years ago.
“The driver somehow went off the shoulder, which is a very wide shoulder on the straight away and literally rolled over Kailon, failed to render aid,” explained Tyndzik’s hanai sister Laycie Love. “The blessing is someone did witness the accident, and so they were able to get first responders on the scene very quickly.”
He was flown to Queen’s with multiple skull fractures, brain swelling and internal bleeding. The family was told he’d remain in the intensive care unit for several weeks.
The adventurous surfer remains in a coma on a ventilator.
“His brain swelling has gone down to what is considered normal levels,” Love said. “And the second CT scan did not show any damage that wasn’t seen in the first one.”
“Kailon is very strong, and he’s already exceeding the expectations of the doctors,” she continued.
Twenty-four hours after the hit and run, Kauai Police said they located the vehicle believed to be involved in the incident and arrested a 54-year old man for negligent injury, leaving the scene of a collision, driving without a license, reckless driving and inattention.
The man has not been charged, but court documents show the same man was arrested mid-January 2025 for driving without a license and insurance. Those charges were dismissed.
Court records also show the man was arrested three times in 2024 for the same crimes.
“We’re going to do our best to not only make sure this person who has multiple counts against them shouldn’t have been on the road, we want to set a standard that this is unacceptable, especially failure to render aid, that’s Kaunala’s bill from 2018, mandatory 10 years,” Love said on advocating for safer roads.
She said Tyndzik’s ohana will be advocating for stricter penalties and hopes there can be added safety measures in the area.
Love is part of Keep It Flowing, which had its first Drive with Aloha Campaign on Saturday at Kauai High School less than a mile where Kailon was hit.
The family has started a GoFundMe to assist with the costly medical bills.
“You’re never retired as a lifeguard, you’re always a lifeguard. He’s always looking out for people, and I guarantee we’re going to hear even more hundreds of people that Kailon has impacted their life, saved them,” Love said.