A mother of seven was struck and killed by a train while on an early morning run in Arizona, after stopping to film a passing locomotive.
Thelma Candelaria, 47, died on Thursday morning in Eloy, near Tucson. She had paused to record a train and posted the clips to social media, moments before a second train hit her from behind.
Family reconstructs final moments
Her daughter Alaisha wrote online: 'My mom was full of life and love. She was just starting to really love and cherish herself again.'
'My mom turned her life over to god and got baptized this last Sunday. She is in heaven. She did not intentionally pass away.'
The family pieced together the morning using the social media clips and surveillance footage. Footage obtained by AZFamily shows a tiny light, believed to be from Thelma's phone, near one of the trains. The train blasts its horn, but the light remains motionless. A second train then appears from the other direction.
'She was happy when she passed'
Alaisha said: 'She was singing along to Jessie Reyez, which is her favorite artist. She was laughing.'
'She did not see [the train] at all as her back was facing it. She also had her noise-canceling headphones on.'
'She was happy when she passed, singing her heart out, free and loud and beautiful and expressive as always.'
'Remember her how she was because that's exactly what she was up until her last seconds.'
Operator response
Train operator Union Pacific said: 'Our hearts go out to her family and loved ones. The Union Pacific crew operating the train at the time of the incident was not injured and is being offered support. The incident is under investigation.'
