A 17-year-old boy remains in critical condition at The Queen's Medical Center after his moped ran into a pickup truck in Kalihi on Tuesday night.

Police said the boy was speeding and didn't turn on the light on his moped, both of which were factors in the accident.

The moped hit the pickup, which was turning left from Kalihi Street onto Kaumauali'i Street, about 11:05 p.m.

The boy, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered injuries to his head, limbs and internal organs, and was taken to The Queen's Medical Center, police said

The 48-year-old Kalihi man who was driving the Ford F-150 pickup truck was not injured, police said. He was not speeding, drinking or under the influence of drugs, police said.

Kalihi Street was closed for several hours while investigators examined the crash site.

The driver of the pickup, Mario Habon, yesterday implored moped riders to operate the vehicles safely and to follow all traffic laws.

He said he was coming home from the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, where he's a painter, when the accident occurred. It happened less than a block from his house.

"I was shocked," Habon said. "I never saw him coming. When he hit me I had no idea what happened. The light was red when I pulled up and I was stopped. When it turned green, I had just started to turn. He had no light on. I never saw him. He hit the front light on the driver's side, but I never saw him until he kept going on the sidewalk."

Habon said he didn't know the boy's name.

Habon said as soon as pulled through the intersection, he called 911 and went to the boy's side. He said he and a witness knew the boy was badly injured because he was lying face down and was having difficulty breathing. They decided not to move him for fear of harming him.

"There's a lot of moped drivers around this area and they speed a lot. I'd tell all of them to slow down and follow the rules. I know what it's like. I drive a Harley Softail and I've had some close calls that have made me think of stopping riding. Now this happens, so maybe it's time to give it up. I'm just praying he'll be OK. To have this happen during the holidays, I really hope he pulls through."

Of the 65 traffic deaths on O'ahu in 2007, two have been moped riders. Last year, seven moped riders were killed in traffic accidents and eight were killed in 2005.

Bryan Cheplic, a spokesman with Honolulu Emergency Services, said paramedics have noticed moped and motorcycle accidents often involve speeding.

"Excessive speeding and not driving defensively are the main factors," Cheplic said. "You have to drive defensively on a moped, and that means no excessive speeding. When you speed that much, no matter what kind of helmet you have, it may not help. And if you're on a moped you have to be defensive. Drivers have blind spots and don't always see you."

Two people were killed this year in moped accidents.

On Oct. 28, 14-year-old Gjino Kanahele of Papakolea was killed when his moped crashed on Kaukonahua Road during an excursion to the North Shore with 60 other moped riders. His brother, Taurus, 15, was also injured but he was treated and released at a hospital. Kanahele was not licensed and was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

On July 3, Robert Sherez, 53, of Honolulu died from head injuries two days after the moped he was driving rear-ended a car on Kamehameha Highway near the Pa'ala'a Uka-Pupukea Road intersection.

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