CAMDEN, N.J. -- A former Miss America contestant originally from Forrest City died early Monday, a week after her car spun off a New Jersey highway and crashed into trees.
Cara McCollum died at Cooper University Hospital, said Frank DiMauro, chief operating officer of the TV station where she worked, and a Facebook message posted by her family.
Her family said in the Facebook post that the 24-year-old of Margate, N.J., died with her family by her side in an operating room, and that her organs were donated.
"We've prayed constantly for a miracle, and we believe God has answered our prayers. Although it's not the miracle that we first envisioned, it's a miracle nonetheless," the family said. "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. ... We all will miss her now that she's gone."
Her family posted a video of McCollum performing a version of "Cups" 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.
The Arkansas native graduated from Princeton University and was an anchor on SNJ Today, a news show serving the southern New Jersey area.
Metro on 02/23/2016