Police yesterday asked for the public's help in solving two hit-and-run incidents that killed elderly pedestrians in Iwilei and Nanakuli in a four-day period.

An 86-year-old Honolulu woman was run down Tuesday morning while crossing Nimitz Highway in a crosswalk. On Saturday the body of a 63-year-old woman was found along Farrington Highway in what police said appeared to be a pedestrian death.

Last year, 36 of the state's 141 traffic fatalities were pedestrians, the highest such total in the past 10 years, a state Department of Transportation official said.

"Last year was a really bad year," department spokesman Scott Ishikawa said. "I think both drivers and pedestrians need to watch for each other."

In 2004 pedestrians accounted for 31 of 142 traffic deaths in Hawai'i. Over the past five years, Hawai'i's pedestrian death rate was seventh-highest in the nation, with an annual average of 2.1 deaths per every 100,000 residents.

No arrests have been made in either of this year's cases, although police have a possible suspect in the Iwilei hit-and-run.

On Tuesday night police found a car at a Waipahu home that they believe was involved in the incident that killed 86-year-old Betty Santiago.

Santiago was crossing North Nimitz Highway at Sumner Street in a crosswalk about 10:22 a.m., police said. Vehicles in the right and middle lane stopped for Santiago, but a car in the middle lane went around the stopped vehicles and struck Santiago, police said.

The car, described as a four-door 2000 Dodge Stratus, with license plate HZM 572, drove away on Nimitz Highway in the 'ewa direction, police said.

The car was found about 9:50 p.m. Tuesday. Police yesterday were trying to locate the car's registered owner and determine who was driving it at the time of the accident. Police said they spoke with the man's girlfriend, who told them she didn't know where he was.

"We know who the driver is and we urge him to turn himself in," said police Sgt. Kim Capllonch.

In the Nanakuli incident, a 63-year-old woman was found about 4:40 a.m. lying on the sidewalk on Farrington Highway, 111 feet east of Ma'aloa Street. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Police found skid marks on the west-bound side of Farrington Highway that ended where the victim was found, police said.

The woman was probably hit while crossing from south to north on Farrington Highway, police said.

"We have no information and no witnesses," Capllonch said.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.