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Authorities ID Mother Fatally Struck By Riverside Train

RIVERSIDE (CBS) — Authorities Sunday were investigating a deadly railroad accident that claimed the life of a 33-year-old mother.

The accident at the Mary Street/Brockton Avenue grade crossing occurred shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday, according to police.

The victim, identified by a coroner's official as Susan Dibene, was pushing her toddler across the tracks in a stroller when the wheels of that baby stroller apparently got stuck.

Rita Garcia, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, confirmed that the crossing arms did come down and the warning lights were flashing at the time. According to witnesses, Dibene was frantic at the time, but managed to push the stroller out of harm's way.

"I just came from the store and I was walking and all I saw was the baby getting out of the railroad tracks and what I did was just get the baby, get her in the sidewalk, because I didn't want her to get hit by other cars," Sandra Castillo, a witness, said.

The child, 2, was unharmed. Her name is Paris Belle.

There were at least 60 passengers on board the train en route from Oceanside headed toward San Bernardino at the time of the collision.

Officials and representatives from a freight company, along with police and Metrolink officials were conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

On Sunday evening, KCAL9's Rita Garcia spoke to Susan Dibene's ex-husband.

The couple was married for three years. They've been separated for a year, but he vowed to wear his wedding ring until the divorce was finalized.

He praised his ex for helping save their daughter. He also knows, while his daughter is young, she definitely knows something is wrong. "She kept saying, 'the train, the train...mommy pushing me.' That's all she could communicate. So at that point, I knew she was...aware of something."

Garcia also said she spoke to Dibene's mother, but she was too distraught to appear on camera. She did say her daughter had a passion for photography.

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» Metrolink Train Fatally Strikes Mom Pushing Stroller In Riverside

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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