Cara McCollum, a former Miss New Jersey who competed in the 2014 Miss America pageant, was critically injured in a car accident on Monday, February 15.
The 24-year-old's Ford Mustang spun off the road, hitting three trees before ending up at the bottom of an embankment in Salem County, New Jersey, just before 7 p.m., the Press of Atlantic City reports.
McCollum was taken to the hospital, where she is listed as being in critical condition.
The accident is under investigation, but police told the Associated Press that McCollum appeared to have been driving too fast on the wet road. She was alone in the car, and authorities do not believe alcohol or drugs was a factor.
The Margate, New Jersey, resident, who is originally from Arkansas, won the 2013 Miss New Jersey pageant and later competed in the Miss America competition. She is an anchor on local news program SNJ Today.
The show, which serves the southern New Jersey area, issued a statement on Tuesday saying, "Cara is a beloved member of our SNJ Today family. She and her family are in our thoughts and prayers."
