A man and a woman died in South Kona on Friday after they were hit while standing on a highway near a macadamia nut field, Hawaii island police said.

Police identified of the woman as 54-year-old Roxane Cho of Kailua-Kona. The man has not yet been identified.

Hawaii police Sgt. Bradley Freitas said the crash happened about 8:15 p.m. on Highway 11 near the 84-mile marker while a 55-year-old Ocean View woman was driving a Nissan sedan south-bound on the highway.

The woman struck the two victims who were “for some reason standing out in the middle of the roadway,” Freitas said.

Both victims died of injuries from the crash.

The driver and her passenger were not hurt.

Freitas said the crash occurred in an undeveloped area with nearby macadamia nut fields.

Police opened a negligent homicide investigation.

The traffic fatalities were the first two of the year for the Big Island compared to four at this time last year.