A 75-year-old Kaimuki man was killed yesterday morning when a garbage truck that was backing up ran over him as he was walking across the street outside his apartment.

His niece, Manu King, said Kenneth F. Zablan was a kind man who regularly enjoyed visiting his many friends at the Ala Moana Center McDonald's.

"He was enjoying retirement," King said. "He had so many friends down at the shopping center. That's what they did a lot. Every day, seven days a week, they'd go to McDonald's and have their breakfast."

As Zablan stepped off the sidewalk at Kapi'olani Boulevard and walked toward a bus stop on the mauka side of the street, the truck backed into him, knocked him down and ran over him, police said. The truck moved forward and ran over him again, police said.

The Honolulu Disposal Service truck was backing out of 2765 Kapi'olani Blvd., a walk-up 'ewa of Kaimuki High School, police said. Police got the call at 8:46 a.m. Police closed Kapi'olani Boulevard in both directions for two hours during the investigation.

Zablan was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was hurt.

The driver of the green disposal truck was a 42-year-old man. Police said speed, alcohol or drugs were not factors in the collision.

Zablan was standing a few feet from the truck and looking at traffic coming from the downtown direction, according to witness accounts obtained by the police.

"According to another witness, he was standing right in back of the truck," said Sgt. John Agno of the Honolulu Police Department. "He probably knew the truck was there because he came out of the driveway. Apparently, he didn't think the truck was going to move. The truck was going very slow. It's a very large truck.

"A witness was yelling at the driver across the street. The driver didn't know what happened, so he moved forward again, rolled over him again."

Traffic investigators found that the truck's reverse-motion alarm on the vehicle and a rear-view camera were working properly. Agno said the visibility of the monitor used by the driver to see images taken by the camera may have been poor.

"(Liquid crystal display) monitors during daytime, kind of hard to see," Agno said.

The company said it is fully cooperating with the police investigation and will follow state and federal Department of Transportation regulations.

In a news release, Honolulu Disposal Service said, "All of us at Honolulu Disposal Service are deeply saddened by this tragic accident. Our hearts go out to the gentleman's family and friends."

Honolulu Disposal official Greg Apa said the driver is undergoing counseling. Officials reserved further comment while the investigation continues.

Zablan, who retired as an aide after more than 20 years at the Hawai'i State Hospital in Kane'ohe, is survived by four sisters, three brothers and an extended family. He also was an Army veteran who served in the Korean War.

Than Nguyen, 18, who lives in an apartment complex beside Zablan's, said his mother was waving to Zablan before the truck hit him. She was headed to work before the accident and returned shortly to tell her son what happened.

"She was panicking and screaming. She was like almost crying," Nguyen said.

King, Zablan's niece, stood beside his body yesterday as it lay under a yellow sheet and said a quiet prayer.

Family members said Zablan lived with and cherished his partner of more than six years.

"He took care of her," King said. "He had to go do all the shopping; he prepared the meals for them. He did everything for her, the washings, everything."

Shortly after receiving the call, police contacted members of Zablan's family.

"They called me to come down," King said. "They took me around. I kept asking them what happened. I said, 'Is that my uncle?' After asking 10 times, they told me that it is him. By then I was blank. I was crying."

James Zablan, 49, Zablan's only child, was working at the time of the accident. "I just got a phone call," he said. "They said that my father's been in an accident."

Zablan's son said he didn't talk to the driver of the truck.

"He's probably all depressed," he said. "I'm sure he didn't mean to do it. He probably didn't see him at all."

Reach Robert Shikina at rshikina@honoluluadvertiser.com.