Sarah Danser, Naked and Afraid star, dies after car crash at 34

Sarah Danser, a frequent competitor on the popular US Naked and Afraid reality TV franchise, died this week after a car crash in Hawaii, police said. She was 34.

Honolulu police told NBC News affiliate Hawaii News Now that a 59-year-old man was driving eastbound in the Kahala neighbourhood on Sunday when he lost control of his vehicle and collided with a parked car.

Danser, a passenger in the vehicle that lost control, was hospitalised and listed in critical condition. She died on Tuesday.

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The driver of the car Danser was in was not wearing a seat belt and is in serious condition. Two people were in the parked car. A woman was in serious condition and a man refused treatment, police told Hawaii News Now.

Speed appeared to be a factor in the fatal crash, but not drugs or alcohol, they said.

Danser’s Naked and Afraid costar Melissa Lauren paid tribute to Danser in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Melissa Lauren with Sarah Danser. Credit: Facebook

“Sarah was one of the most adventurous souls I’ve ever met,” she wrote. “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.”

Lauren called Danser a “fierce survivalist” as well as a breast cancer survivor “who kept an inspiring and positive attitude throughout her treatment.”

“Rest easy Sarah, I know you’re out there exploring somewhere,” she said.

Island Divers Hawaii, a scuba diving centre where Danser worked, also offered condolences on its Facebook account on Thursday.

“Heavy hearts as we say goodbye to a good friend and great captain,” the centre wrote alongside a screenshot of Danser’s last Instagram post. “Sarah brought such great energy to everyone she came in contact with. You will be greatly missed.”

Danser was born in Castle Rock, Colorado, but lived in Hawaii for over a decade before her death. She resided on a boat at Kewalo Basin, giving her the freedom to travel, according to Hawaii News Now.

She appeared repeatedly on Naked and Afraid, a Discovery Channel survival competition where contestants see how long they can last in the wilderness with no clothes and only a few tools. Danser was on Season 8 (2017) and Season 11 (2020) of Naked And Afraid as well as Season 4 (2018, all-star edition), Season 6 (2020) and Season 7 (2021) of Naked And Afraid XL.

Danser recently competed on the CW’s reality show, Fight to Survive.