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Credit: Miami Herald

 

MIAMI - Miss Florida, Shauna Pender, was critically injured Friday in a traffic accident in suburban Miami, state troopers said.

 

Pender, 24, assumed the state crown last month when Miss Florida Ericka Dunlap became Miss America.

 

Pender, two other women and a 5-year-old girl were in a Lincoln Town Car when a pickup truck changed lanes and caused the Lincoln to veer out of control, said Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Julio Pajon.

 

An 18-wheel truck also swerved and tipped over, striking the car. The pickup truck did not collide with either vehicle and left the scene, Pajon said.

 

Pender was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center and was in critical condition as she underwent surgery Friday evening, Pajon said.

 

The afternoon rush hour accident, at the intersection of the Dolphin and Palmetto expressways west of Miami International Airport, jammed traffic for hours.

 

Pender, a graduate in theater from Florida State, was a three-time first runner-up in the Miss Florida competitions. She competed as Miss Tallahassee 1998, Miss Azalea Florida 2000, Miss West Coast Florida 2001, Miss Panama City 2002 and as Miss St. Petersburg in 2003.

 

In the 2003 competition she described her talent as "vocal," and her platform as "society embracing special needs people."

 

Pender also was a contestant on ABC's reality television show "All American Girl" in 2003.

That's probably why Pudge was late to Santa's. Gosh......I hope she'll be okay.

From the pictures they were showing on the news last night, I'm amazed she was the only one rushed to the trauma center for surgery. Pretty nasty looking accident.

Yesterday I heard on the news that one had to have part of their leg amputated. They didn't say who.