UPDATE: Saturday’s Puna Crash Victim Identified

***Updated Tuesday, Jan. 7.***

A 53-year-old woman who died following a head-on collision Saturday night near Keaau has been identified as Anh Kim Tran of Keaau.

Tran was the driver of a northbound Mercury sedan that crossed the center line and struck a Mercedes Benz in the vicinity of the Hawaii Island Humane Society facility.

Both the driver and the passenger of the Mercedes sustained injuries in the crash.

Posted 9:39 a.m. Monday, Jan. 6:

Police are not yet releasing the name of a 53-year-old Keaau woman who died following a head-on collision Saturday night on Route 130 near the Hawaii Island Humane Society facility in Keaau.

Police responding to an 8:28 p.m. call determined the woman was driving a 2001 Mercury four-door sedan in the Keaau direction when she cross the center line and collided with an oncoming 1999 Mercedes Benz multi-purpose vehicle.

Neither drugs nor alcohol were believed to be involved, but speed was a factor in the crash, police said.

The woman and the 56-year-old Keaau woman driving the Mercedes, and her passenger, her 23-year-daughter, were taken to Hilo Medical Center.

The driver of the Mercury was pronounced dead at 11:26 p.m.

Traffic was diverted to the Puna emergency road that extends from Road 8 in Hawaiian Acres to Ainaloa Drive while an investigation of the crash scene was underway.

Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact Officer Casey Cabral at 961-8889.

This was the Big Island’s first traffic fatality of the year. There was none at this time in 2013.