HONOMU, HI : Woman killed in a collision with a propane truck on Hawaii Island on Sunday, September 3, 2017

The woman killed in a collision with a propane truck on Hawaii Island over the weekend has been identified.

Officials say Sarah Akiona was a passenger in the Honda Pilot that smashed head-on into a Hawaii Gas Company propane truck in Honomu Saturday.

Route 19 was closed for two days following the crash as fire crews monitored a propane fire left burning at the scene.

Akiona was pronounced dead at the scene.

A man and baby also in the SUV were not badly hurt.

A spokesperson from the Hawaii Gas Company said the propane tank was heading back to a Hilo base yard from a delivery when the two collided.

The driver of the propane truck was hospitalized but is reported to be OK.

About 1,500 gallons of propane was in the tank at the time of the collision. The company tried to transfer the fuel to another tanker, but the fire department said it was safer to let it burn off.

Police were originally concerned over the stability of the propane truck. They say the truck had a small leak which led to the fire, and emergency crews were closely monitoring the propane discharge.

Officials with the Hawaii County Fire Department say the fire was extinguished around 5:20 a.m. Monday.

Traffic was diverted from the area in the interest of public safety.

Source :
Woman killed in fiery Big Island crash identified