Kapolei, HI : Standout Athlete killed in car crash on Saturday morning, January 10, 2015

Hearts are heavy in Kapolei after a teenager was killed in a car crash early Saturday morning.

Family members and friends identified him as 18-year-old Linden Quintal, a 2014 graduate of Damien Memorial School.

Honolulu Police said the teen was traveling southwest on Farrington Highway around 4:00 a.m. when he lost control of this car, climbed the sidewalk, struck a rock wall and a tree.

Quintal was just minutes away from his home.

Medics couldn't revive him and he died on the scene.

Officials said speed does appear to be a factor. It is unknown at this time if alcohol was also a contributing factor.

Those who know and love him are still in shock.

"To me it's just crazy to know that somebody you see every day, you walk down the street and say what's up, and now they're just gone," said Justus Carroll, who grew up with Quintal and lived right across the street from him.

"If anyone knew Linden, they would know that he was just a cool guy and you can get along with him easily and he would catch you with that smile," said Armon Coronel, another childhood friend and neighbor.

But Quintal wasn't just a kid with a great smile, he was a standout athlete.

Family members say he played football, baseball, basketball and ran track and field at Damien Memorial School.

"We would play sports, challenge each other a lot, but he was far more athletic than I was," Coronel said.

Family members say the teen was attending University of Hawaii – West Oahu and studying criminal justice.

His friends say although he is gone, he will never be forgotten.

"For those of you who didn't know him, he was a good kid. This is hard for a lot of us to believe, we lost somebody great and dear to our hearts," Carroll said, trying to hold back tears.

“I would tell him, ‘Linden, we're gonna miss you. I can't believe you're gone and we'll be thinking about you forever man," Coronel said wiping tears from his eyes.

This is the sixth traffic fatality so far this year. That's compared to three this same time last year.

Source :
Kapolei teen killed in crash was standout athlete, Damien graduate