Former Miss America Contestant Dies After Crash

A former Miss America contestant who was in a car accident last week died from her injuries Monday morning, reports People. Cara McCollum, 24, competed in the pageant in 2013 after winning the Miss New Jersey title that year. She was critically injured on Feb. 15 when her car spun off a Jersey highway and struck multiple trees before landing in an embankment. Police don't think alcohol or drugs were involved, but they say she might have been driving too fast for the wet road conditions and note that she wasn't wearing a seat belt. McCollum's family announced the news of her death on Facebook.

"Thank you all for this tremendous outpouring of love and support for our Cara," the note reads. "Her family was with her in the operating room, and she died peacefully at 4:31am." The Princeton grad was an anchor for SNJ Today, which covers southern New Jersey. The AP notes that the family's post includes a video link to McCollum singing a cover of the song "Cups," with the line, "You're gonna miss me when I'm gone." (More Miss New Jersey stories.)