Former Miss New Jersey and TV news anchor, Cara McCollum, has died from injuries sustained in a car accident last week. She was 24 years old.
McCollum's family and the Millville-based TV station she worked for confirmed the former beauty queen's death.
Last Monday night, McCollum is believed to have been speeding on a slick road when her car spun off the road and hit several trees before resting in an embankment. She wasn't wearing her seat belt. She was then brought to the local Cooper Health System hospital where she underwent surgery.
According to the Facebook page, "Prayers for Cara," created for McCollum after the accident, she died at 4:31 a.m. on Monday morning. Her family says that her organs have been donated.
The Arkansas native and Princeton University graduate became an anchor at Southern New Jersey's "SNJ Today" after competing in pageants. She had worked there for almost six months.
Here's a statement from the TV network:
"Cara showed warmth to everyone she met. She was a part of our news team family and we are gratified to have worked with her — even for such a short time," it read. "We will miss her terribly."
McCollum's surviving family members include her parents and a brother. She was also dating Keith Jones, an anchor at NBC station WCAU in Philadelphia.
On Facebook, Jones wrote, "Words fall short of describing the pain, but I'm eternally grateful and blessed for the time I spent with Cara."
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