Elderly Car Passenger Killed By Freight Train In San Leandro
SAN LEANDRO (CBS SF) - An elderly woman riding in a car was killed Tuesday night when the car became stuck on railroad tracks on a wrong turn and was hit by a freight train, police said.
The crash happened at 10:10 p.m. where Castro Street crosses the Union Pacific railroad tracks, Sgt. Robert McManus said.
The 78-year-old San Leandro resident and the driver, her 56-year-old daughter, were on Williams street when the driver mistakenly turned south onto the tracks, according to Sgt. Mike Sobek.
Their 2011 Toyota Prius became stuck on the tracks as a Union Pacific freight train approached, said Sobek.
The driver tried to remove her mother from the car but was unable to and the train hit the car from behind and pushed it approximately a quarter mile down the tracks as the woman watched, said Sobek.
The elderly victim was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no other injuries. Investigators have determined the crash was accidental, according to Sobek.
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