Former Russian Miss Universe contestant, 30, dies after elk smashes through windshield

18 Aug 2025 By foxnews

A model and former Miss Universe contestant from Russia died last week from injuries she suffered after an elk crashed through the windshield of her Porsche, according to a report.

Kseniya Alexandrova, 30, died from severe brain injuries from the accident that occurred while she was driving with her husband in Tver Oblast, Russia, on July 5, Russian news outlet RIA reported. She remained hospitalized in a coma until her death on Aug. 12.

Alexandrova and her husband were returning home from Rzhev when the collision with the elk happened on the M‑9 highway, the outlet reported.

The husband, who was not named in the report, said there was no time to react to the animal jumping in front of the couple's Porsche Panamera, adding that he and Alexandrova were both wearing seatbelts, and were driving at a low speed during the collision.

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"From the moment it jumped out to the impact, a split second passed. I didn't have time to do anything," he told the outlet in a statement translated from Russian.

Alexandrova, who was in the passenger seat, suffered a head injury when the animal hurtled through the windshield and into the cabin of the car, her husband told the outlet.

"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 said.

The couple had been married just four months before the freak accident, according to her Instagram. She was also a psychologist who earned her degree from Moscow Pedagogical State University, according to a November 2022 post on her social media.

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Alexandrova represented Russia in the 2017 Miss Universe pageant and placed second in the Miss Russia competition earlier that year.

Alexandrova's modeling agency, Modus Vivendis, confirmed her death in a statement that was written in Russian and posted on the agency's Instagram on Aug. 13.

"It is with great sadness that we inform you that our colleague and friend, model Kseniya Alexandrova, passed away yesterday evening," the translated statement said.

"Kseniya was bright [and] talented. She knew how to inspire, support and give warmth to everyone who was around," the agency continued. "For us, she will forever remain a symbol of beauty, kindness and inner strength."