A former Miss Universe contestant has tragically been killed in a freak accident where an elk crashed through her windscreen.
Kseniya Alexandrova, 30, was critically injured on July 5 while traveling with her husband in their Porsche Panamera along the M-9 highway in Tver Oblast, Russia, as they returned home from the city of Rzhev.
According to Russian news outlets, the animal suddenly leapt into the road, giving the couple no time to react before smashing through the windshield.
"From the moment it jumped out to the impact, a split second passed. I didn’t have time to do anything," her husband recalled in a statement translated from Russian.
Alexandrova, who was in the passenger seat, bore the brunt of the impact. Her husband explained that she suffered catastrophic injuries when the elk crashed through the glass and into the cabin, per Fox News.
“She was unconscious, her head was fractured, everything was covered in blood. The frontal bones of the skull were broken – it was an open cranial-brain injury,” he told reporters.
Other drivers reportedly stopped to assist, and emergency crews arrived at the scene within 15 minutes. Alexandrova was transferred to a hospital in Moscow, where she remained in a coma until her death on August 12.
The devastating accident came just four months after she married her husband, a fact she had joyfully shared on Instagram earlier this year.
Beyond her personal life, Alexandrova had built an impressive career in both modeling and academia.
She represented Russia in the 2017 Miss Universe competition after placing second in Miss Russia the same year.
Alongside her time in the spotlight, she also pursued a career in psychology, earning her degree from Moscow Pedagogical State University. In a November 2022 Instagram post, she expressed pride in achieving her qualification.
Her modeling agency, Modus Vivendis, confirmed her passing in a heartfelt statement posted on August 13. “It is with great sadness that we inform you that our colleague and friend, model Kseniya Alexandrova, passed away yesterday evening,” the translated post read.
“Kseniya was bright [and] talented. She knew how to inspire, support and give warmth to everyone who was around. For us, she will forever remain a symbol of beauty, kindness and inner strength,” the agency continued.
“We sincerely mourn and express our deepest condolences to her family, friends and everyone who had the good fortune to know Kseniya.”
Our thoughts are with Kseniya's loved ones at this difficult time.