KAILUA-KONA — A woman died after a single car accident in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Thursday night.
State and federal firefighters responded to the scene at 9:42 p.m. after a 1992 Honda sedan ran into a cluster of large ohia trees.
The “vehicle appears to have major damage — split in half almost,” the Hawaii Fire Department said in a press release.
Chief Ranger John Broward said there was a great deal of material around the area. A heavy brush and fern cover required responders to make several nighttime searches of the scene, he said, along with additional ones in daylight.
“We’re reasonably certain there was no other people involved,” he said.
Officials hadn’t identified the victim by press time Friday. No ID was found in the vehicle, leading to difficulties in identifying her. They took fingerprints and also recovered the victim’s cellphone in a tree and were able to recover the SIM card, both of which should help them in their effort.
“The main thing is we are looking for witnesses,” Broward said.
He said the volunteer firefighter who called in the accident saw two other people there who left the area before first responders arrived.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call park dispatch at 985-6170.
National Park Service rangers are investigating.