Updated (correction): Traffic fatality in Puna

A single-car collision claimed a life Saturday night in Puna’s Nanawale Estates subdivision.

According to a written Fire Department statement, responders received an 8:21 p.m. call to Nanawale Boulevard. Fire medics arrived at 8:34 p.m. to find a mid-sized car that ran off the road, struck trees and snapped a utility pole before coming to rest five feet below the road.

According to the statement, a man lying on the ground next to the car who identified himself as a passenger said the driver had fled the scene prior to arrival of police and medics, but police had information from a witness there may have been others in the car.

A search of the area using thermal imaging equipment found a lifeless female victim about 10 feet from the car in thick brush.

As of early Sunday afternoon, police had not identified the victim.

A previous online story erroneously identified the victim as 46-year-old Candace Tablit of Pahoa. Her name appeared on a police log, but she was a witness and was uninjured.

The Tribune-Herald regrets the error.