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Camden - A former Miss America contestant critically injured when her car spun off a wet highway and crashed into trees last week died on Monday.
Ex-Miss New Jersey Cara McCollum, who worked at a TV station and was known for her efforts in public service, died with her family by her side in a hospital operating room, and her organs were donated, the family said.
"We've prayed constantly for a miracle, and we believe God has answered our prayers," the family said on Facebook. "Although it's not the miracle that we first envisioned, it's a miracle nonetheless."
McCollum was 24 years old and lived in Margate. Her family posted a video of her performing a version of a Cups cover made popular by Anna Kendrick in the film Pitch Perfect.
The song includes the lyrics "you're gonna miss me when I'm gone" and was performed by Miss New York Kira Kazantsev when she won the Miss America pageant in September 2014. McCollum competed in the previous year's pageant after winning the 2013 Miss New Jersey title.
McCollum, a Forrest City, Arkansas, native, graduated from Princeton University and was an anchor on SNJ Today, a news show serving the southern Jersey area on Channel 22 in Cumberland County. Her death also was confirmed by the station's chief operating officer, Frank DiMauro.
