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Sarah Danser of Naked and Afraid died on Tuesday, October 22 due to complications from a car accident two days prior.
The 34-year-old reality TV veteran — who appeared on seasons 8 and 11 of Naked and Afraid, seasons 4, 6, and 7 of Naked and Afraid XL, and CW series Fight to Survive — had been involved in a car accident in Kahala, Hawaii, on Sunday, October 20, per local TV station KSLA.
Per a Honolulu police report, a 59-year-old male driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a parked car. Danser was reportedly a passenger in his vehicle. Danser was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and died two days later.
The driver, as well as a person in the parked car, were both hurt and hospitalized in serious condition. There was another man in the parked car, but police say he refused treatment. Police have said speed was an issue in the crash, but not drugs or alcohol.
Danser's father and brother arrived at the hospital on Tuesday before she died, and said she was wearing a lei, scarves, and bandanas given to her by her friends. They also said that Danser had previously survived breast cancer twice.
Danser, who was a Castle Rock, Colorado native, had been living in Hawaii for about 12 years, and worked at Island Divers Hawaii in Hawaii Kai. In her Instagram bio, she described herself as a "Pirate 🏴☠️ Boat Captain, SCUBA Diver, Survivalist."
"I actually saw how much of a difference she made in the lives of others," her father, Dan Danser, told KSLA. "I think she saved my life once, diving in Indonesia."
One of her fellow competitors from Naked and Afraid XL, Melissa Lauren, shared a tribute to her Facebook. "Sarah was [one] of the most adventurous souls I've ever met. She wasn't only a fierce survivalist on Naked and Afraid (she completed XL in South Africa with me), but a Breast Cancer survivor who kept an inspiring and positive attitude through her treatment," Lauren posted.
"She loved the ocean, nature and exploring - I always considered her a "modern day pirate," her post continued. "She was one of those people that saw the world through the eyes of a child, in awe of the things that many of us take for granted. Rest easy Sarah, I know you're out there exploring somewhere."
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