The paternal family of William Taufa Volomohea Bloomfield, 24, who died in hospital in the United States after he was struck by a car on Sunday night, May 21, were on their way to bring his body back to Vava’u, Tonga.
William died after he ran into the roadway near 8455 California Avenue – where there is no crosswalk – before the fatal incident happened, US authorities said.
His aunt Fehoko Bloomfield Okusitino said this morning she has arrived in Hawai’i heading to Los Angeles to see her nephew.
They hope to return with the deceased on Thursday next week.
William’s uncle ‘Anisi Bloomfield said he was shocked when he got the news his nephew has died few hours after he left San Francisco for Los Angeles on Friday last week.
‘Anisi, the CEO of the Ministry of Customs and Revenue was in the United States on a government mission.
He said he did not have time to meet with William.
‘Anisi, the eldest brother of William’s father, Richard, said the family planned to bring William’s body home.
‘Anisi said William was a US citizen because he was born in the United States but spent most of his life in Tonga with his parents.
He went to Tonga Side School and Tonga High School. He ended up studying at Tonga College because he loved playing brass band instruments, ‘Anisi said.
He studied a Diploma at Community Development and Training Centre in Tonga before he went to the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.
“After all these he left for the United States to start a new life”, ‘Anisi said.
“Although the tragedy has struck the family pretty hard we are not grumbling or complaining we accept it despite its difficulty”, ‘Anisi said.
William was married but they had no children.
