Miss France hopeful Morgane Rolland dies after being run over by truck while cycling with friend
Morgane Rolland, who was hoping to take part in the Miss France pageant, has been confirmed dead after she was hit by a tractor-trailer last week.
On April 26, 22-year-old Morgane was cycling along with her friend on a small road in Loire when she lost control and swerved off the pavement in order to avoid an oncoming car. Le Figaro reported that this was when she was hit by the trailer.
Within seconds of the collision, Morgane was tragically pulled under the truck after she got stuck between the tractor and its accompanying trailer which was filled with logs, PEOPLE reported.
Le Figaro also reported that emergency responders had rushed to the scene with the hope of rescuing Morgane but found that she had suffered from a cardiac arrest. She was immediately airlifted to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Radio network France Bleu reported that both Morgane's friend, as well as the driver of the truck, were not injured in the accident.
The National Director of Miss France, Sylvie Tellier, paid tribute to the model after the news of her death broke.
She wrote: "When fate steals the life of a young 22-year-old woman, we can only be upset by this tragedy. Have a nice trip to the land of angels, beautiful Morgane! Deep thoughts for her parents, her fiancé, her family and for the Miss Loire committee who had the opportunity to share moments of happiness with Morgane."
Shortly before her life was ended by the freak accident, Morgane had been preparing to take part in a pageant that would have allowed her to compete for Miss France.
According to La Chaîne Info, Morgane was named the runner-up in the 2017 Miss Loire contest.
Aside from actively looking forward to being Miss France, Morgane was a volunteer firefighter who loved to travel around the world. The last image that was posted to her Instagram page showed her backpacking in Ljubljana, Slovenia.