Former “Naked and Afraid” competitor Sarah Danser died Tuesday of injuries from a car accident over the weekend, the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed with NTD News. She was 34.
On Sunday, the reality TV star was critically injured after she and a 59-year-old man—who was driving—lost control of their vehicle and crashed into a parked car, according to the Honolulu Police Department.
Immediately following the accident, both Danser and the driver were taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.
The accident occurred around 8:20 p.m. in the Honolulu neighborhood of Kahala.
Inside the parked vehicle was a 28-year-old male, who had minor injuries and refused medical treatment, and a 26-year-old female passenger, who sustained serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital, according to police.
Police said speed is likely the main cause of the accident. Drugs or alcohol didn’t appear to be involved.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, “Naked and Afraid,” costar Melissa Lauren said Danser always had a positive outlook on life, was a fierce competitor, and loved adventure.
“Sarah was [one] of the most adventurous souls I’ve ever met. She wasn’t only a fierce survivalist on Naked and Afraid, but a Breast Cancer survivor who kept an inspiring and positive attitude through her treatment,” she wrote.
Lauren said she always considered Danser a “modern day pirate”, because of her love for the ocean, nature, and exploring.
According to her Instagram page, Danser worked as a boat captain and enjoyed scuba diving.
Local dive shop Island Divers Hawaii shared on Facebook Thursday a screenshot of Danser’s last post on Instagram two weeks ago, which showed her captaining their boat.
“Heavy hearts as we say goodbye to a good friend and great captain. Sarah brought such great energy to everyone she came in contact with. You will be greatly missed,” they wrote.
Several Instagram users commented on Danser’s last post, sharing memories and good times they had with her on scuba diving adventures.
Instagram user @thealrightgatsby83 said he first met Danser when she was captaining the tourist pirate boat in Waikiki and was playing the role of a pirate.
He said she “wouldn’t drop the whole pirate character all night,” and remembers being really annoyed because of it, but later warmed up to her personality. “I just didn’t get you at first. So often the way with truly unique souls. Obviously as time went on I learned how amazing you are.”