Oakland crash leaves beauty queen fighting for life

Kiara Darvonne Bowling is fighting for her life after an Oakland crash that left the California beauty queen with multiple brain injuries while she was walking a friend’s dog. The 31-year-old was hit when two young brothers allegedly took their parents’ car and drove into her on an Oakland street, according to police and family accounts.

Bowling remains hospitalized at Highland Hospital in Oakland, where her relatives say her condition is still grave. Her sister, Christina Blackmon, told KTVU that Bowling is suffering from multiple brain bleeds and facial fractures. Blackmon said the family is hoping for a fast recovery, and relatives later said Bowling has begun responding to basic commands, a small sign of progress after the severe crash.

Police say the boys, ages four and six, got behind the wheel on Thursday and drove at a high rate of speed before sideswiping another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. The car then struck Bowling as she crossed in a crosswalk with the dog and kept going until it hit a home on the corner. A witness told KRON4 that one child appeared to be steering while the other worked the gas and brake pedals. Images from the scene showed a white vehicle crushed on the sidewalk and a damaged fence.

The witness also described the moment as eerily quiet aside from the collision itself. “You didn’t hear her scream,” the witness said of Bowling. “You didn’t hear any of the kids make any noises. The only sound that you heard was the crash.”