International Visitors · What to Do First
My Vacation Has Been Interrupted. What Should I Do First?
Stop, identify the immediate emergency and take one practical step at a time. You do not need to solve the entire situation in the first hour.
Safety comes first. Then confirm where everyone is, preserve documents and facts, and identify the next real deadline.
The Practical Answer
Call 911 for immediate danger or a medical emergency. Otherwise, establish who is safe, where the affected person is, which agency or facility is involved and what written paperwork exists.
Create a short timeline, choose one reliable family contact and avoid making irreversible decisions—such as leaving Hawaiʻi, discarding belongings or posting publicly—until the situation is understood.
Ready to Speak With an Attorney?
Gather the most important facts and explain what remains unknown.
I’m Ready to Contact an Attorney1. Deal With the Immediate Emergency
Call 911 for immediate danger, serious injury, fire or an urgent medical crisis. Follow instructions from emergency responders and do not place yourself in danger while trying to help.
If the emergency has passed, move to a safe place and begin documenting what is known.
2. Confirm Where Everyone Is
Determine whether the person is at a police station, HPD Central Receiving, a hospital, court, correctional facility, hotel or another location.
Use full legal names and dates of birth. Record the name of every agency and staff member contacted.
3. Gather the Paperwork
Collect citations, release papers, property receipts, medical documents, police cards, court notices, towing records, hotel reports and insurance information.
Photograph each document and store copies somewhere accessible to a trusted companion.
4. Write a Simple Timeline
Record what happened in time order: locations, times, witnesses, police or medical response, transfers, calls and documents received.
Separate what you personally observed from what another person told you and what remains unknown.
5. Preserve Phones, Photos and Other Evidence
Save original photographs, video, messages, receipts, rideshare history and location records. Do not edit or overwrite original files.
Do not contact witnesses aggressively or post explanations and accusations online.
6. Identify the Next Deadline
Look for a court appearance, reporting requirement, medication need, hotel checkout, flight, rental-car return, passport appointment or insurance-notification deadline.
Handle the legal or safety deadline before ordinary vacation logistics.
7. Contact the Right People
Choose one reliable family contact. Contact the person’s consulate when appropriate. Notify the hotel or travel provider only of the practical information they genuinely need.
Contact a Hawaiʻi attorney when legal representation, court guidance or review of release conditions is required.
8. Do Not Assume You Can Fly Home
Check all release documents and court conditions before leaving Hawaiʻi. A ticket and airport security clearance do not override a legal obligation.
International travelers should also confirm passport, visa, airline and destination-document requirements.
9. Protect Medication, Identification and Essential Property
Confirm where passports, phones, wallets, keys, medication and luggage are located. Ask for property receipts and facility procedures before attempting collection.
Keep receipts for emergency clothing, lodging, transportation, medication and flight changes.
10. Make a 24-Hour Plan
Write down the next three actions, who is responsible for each and when they must be completed. Avoid having several distressed people make separate calls and receive conflicting information.
Reassess after the urgent facts are confirmed. Some vacation arrangements can wait.
Official Resources
Use official agency and government sources for current procedures and contact information.
Do You Have the Basic Information Together?
You do not need every answer before asking for legal help.
I’m Ready to Contact an Attorney