Thelma Candelaria, Eloy, Arizona mom fatally struck by train going for morning run wearing noise canceling headphones. Mother of 7 had recently found Jesus and had started recent health kick and had been posting her new routine on Instagram.
‘She was in her own world…’ An Arizona mom of seven was fatally struck by a train on her morning run while filming herself wearing noise-cancelling headphones, according to her family.
Thelma Candelaria, 47, of Eloy, AZ, had started uploaded her morning jogs on social media as part of a health kick that coincided with her getting baptized less than a week ago, her family told KTVK.
She shared her last clip early Thursday, October 17, where she told her Instagram followers she was taking running ‘seriously’ as she flashed a peace sign and gave a thumbs up.
Mom who found Jesus had started uploading her new routine on social media
Around 6 a.m., Thelma stopped near a railroad crossing and began recording a passing train as it blasted its horn as it went by. What she apparently didn’t realize was that a second train was approaching on another set of tracks from the opposite direction.
That train had also blasted its horn in warning — but Candelaria was seemingly oblivious while wearing pink noise-cancelling headphones, according to her daughter Alaisha Candelaria.
Her daughter believes her mother’s pink noise-canceling Beats headphones, combined with the noise of the first train, prevented her from hearing the second train approaching.
‘She was in her own world. She was singing along to Jessie Reyez, which is her favorite artist. She was laughing,’ Alaisha, 29, told KTVK, describing her late mom an ‘angel.’
The mom was struck by the train even though it had slammed its emergency brake.
Candelaria was initially reported missing when she failed to return home before being found dead at the scene.
Renewed relationship with God
Making the tragedy even more heartbreaking, Thelma had recently experienced what loved ones described as a spiritual transformation. Just days before her death, she had been baptized and was embracing a renewed relationship with God.
‘Thelma gave her life to Jesus Christ and was baptized,’ Amber Sherban said in a GoFundMe fundraiser.
‘I was blessed to witness that beautiful moment. In the days that followed, her social media was filled with gratitude, positivity, and love for God. She was embracing her faith with such grace and asking Him to remove the negativity from her life.
‘I find comfort knowing she gave her heart to the Lord, but my heart breaks for the children who must now navigate life without their mother.
‘Thelma spent her life being a blessing to others. Now it’s our turn to be a blessing to her children.’
The accident is still being investigated – and the mom’s cause of death hasn’t been revealed.
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