Miss Universe alum Kseniya Alexandrova has died at 30 after an elk crashed through the windshield of the car she was riding in, according to Russian outlet Rossiyskaya Gazeta and reported in American markets by PEOPLE.
The accident occurred on July 5 in Tver Oblast as Alexandrova and her husband were driving home from Rzhev. She suffered severe brain injuries and died at a Moscow hospital on Aug. 12.
Alexandrova was in the passenger seat when the elk suddenly entered the roadway.
“From the moment it jumped out to the impact, a split second passed. I didn’t have time to do anything,” her husband told Rossiyskaya Gazeta in a statement translated from Russian.
He said Alexandrova was unconscious following the collision and added, “Everything was covered in blood.” He also noted that other motorists stopped to help and emergency crews reached them in about 15 minutes before she was transported to Moscow.
The model married her husband four months before the crash, per her Instagram.
Beyond modeling, Alexandrova represented Russia at Miss Universe in 2017 and was first runner-up at Miss Russia that same year. She later shared that she practiced psychology after earning a degree from Moscow Pedagogical State University, according to a November 2022 update on her Instagram.
Her agency, Modus Vivendis, confirmed her death in an Aug. 13 Instagram statement.
“It is with great sadness that we inform you that our colleague and friend, model Kseniya Alexandrova, passed away yesterday evening,” the translated statement read.
The agency remembered her as “bright” and “talented” and said, “For us, she will forever remain a symbol of beauty, kindness and inner strength.” The message concluded with condolences to her family and friends.
Alexandrova is remembered for her pageant career, academic work in psychology, and recent marriage, all cut short by a rare wildlife collision that turned a routine drive into a fatal event.
