Kiara Bowling, the California beauty queen struck by a vehicle driven by 4- and 6-year-olds, is speaking out for the first time after the tragic accident.
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The Beauty Queen Says She Feels "Blessed"
As the New York Post reports, the 32-year-old Bowling visited the Oakland intersection where the incident took place. In August, she was walking her best friend's dog when two young boys took their car and crashed into her.
"I feel blessed to be here and to still be able to walk," Bowling said. "It feels good that I survived this, because this looks like a situation where an incident happened that was very traumatic and probably didn't have any survivors."
Investigators told Bowling that the pair of young siblings allegedly grabbed their parents' car keys while they slept. They then climbed through a window and traveled away in the car.
Witnesses said the boys drove down the street at a high speed. One child steered the car while another worked the pedals. The vehicle then sideswiped one car before hitting Bowling and crashing into a fence.
Bowling sustained multiple brain bleeds, a traumatic brain injury, broken ribs, facial fractures, and memory loss. Her best friend's dog was also hurt, though the canine, named Grizzly, survived.
Bowling Has No Idea What Happened
The winner of Miss California Regency International 2026 said she had no memory of the harrowing incident.
"I don't have any recollection of this area, when it happened," Bowling said. "I really don't have recollection until the middle of September. In the hospital, my doctors had to let me know what happened."
A bystander who helped Bowling later reconnected with her over FaceTime to explain what happened.
"You didn't have enough time to even get out the way," said Lavelle Shah-Marquis. "The car came so fast behind you and hit you and the dog. You went flying, and you landed right where you were, and that was pretty much it. Then you went unconscious."
Since the crash, Bowling has had to relearn simple tasks, including how to walk, talk, and eat. Doctors say it could take her two years to fully recover from the accident. She was also about to finish her final semester at California State University - East Bay and pursue a career in law.
But she holds no ill will toward the children who struck her, telling reporters, "I do forgive them."
