CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / BAKERSFIELD
A mother whose car became stuck on railroad tracks was hit by a train and killed after five relatives escaped from the vehicle, authorities said Sunday.
Lourdes Ruiz, 41, was driving Saturday and stalled on train tracks just north of Edison Highway on Vineland Road as a westbound train approached, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Three of Ruiz’s children and two nieces escaped quickly, the CHP said.
But as Ruiz and her teenage son emerged from the car, the train hit Ruiz, throwing her 150 feet, according to the CHP.
The train then struck Ruiz’s car, causing it to spin and hit her son, who was taken to a hospital with moderate head injuries, authorities said.
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