Ahead of her highly anticipated departure to Puerto Rico to compete in the 75th Miss Universe pageant, Dominican Republic’s official 2026 contestant Melissa Núñez was involved in a multi-occupant car crash late Friday evening along Núñez de Cáceres Avenue, in the capital’s El Millón neighborhood of the National District. The 28-year-old psychology graduate and established international model was traveling in the same vehicle as Magali Febles, the long-serving national director of the Miss Universe Dominican Republic franchise, when the collision took place. In an official public statement released by Febles’ administrative team the following Saturday, representatives confirmed that every individual who was riding in the impacted vehicle remains under medical observation at a local health facility in stable, non-life-threatening condition, though the statement did not release granular details on the specific types or severity of injuries sustained by any of the passengers. Prior to the accident, Núñez had a confirmed itinerary to fly to Puerto Rico on Sunday to join the full cohort of international delegates for the official start of the 2026 Miss Universe competition programming, but franchise leadership noted that her ability to make the trip will be entirely contingent on ongoing medical assessments and her rate of recovery in the coming days. The Dominican Republic boasts a storied history in the global Miss Universe circuit, having claimed the prestigious crown once in 2003, when 18-year-old Amelia Vega took home the title at the pageant hosted in Panama. This year’s host territory Puerto Rico is gearing up for its turn to stage the landmark 75th edition of the global beauty competition, an event that Governor Jennifer González projected last year will create over 1,100 direct and indirect temporary jobs for local residents across hospitality, event production, tourism and related sectors, delivering a measurable economic boost to the island’s post-pandemic events industry.
Traffic accident Melissa Núñez: What is Miss Universe’s condition?
