A horrible story is coming to light after a elderly woman lost her life on a San Leandro train track Tuesday night.
The woman was riding in a car with her daughter when a simple mistake turned deadly.
San Leandro police said a 56-year-old woman was driving east on Williams Street with her 77-year-old mother when she made a right turn directly onto the train track, thinking it was a street.
What happened next reads like a movie drama minus the happy ending.
The Toyota Prius got stuck on the tracks just as a Union Pacific freight train headed its way.
Police said the driver tried to to get her mother out of the car, but couldn't do it in time. The train struck the car from behind pushing it a quarter mile down the tracks.
The car finally came to a stop on Castro Street.
The person trapped inside, identified by police as Pei Haung, died instantly.
Her daughter was not hurt.
Police said two other people in cars at the Castro Street crossing witnessed the crash, which investigators said they have determined was accidental.
The Prius was towed away a couple hours later and was nearly unrecognizable following the impact with the freight train.
