A 47-year-old mother of seven was killed by a train during a morning run in Arizona, with her family saying she may not have heard the warning because she was wearing noise-canceling headphones and recording herself.
Thelma Candelaria had recently begun documenting her runs near Eloy as part of a new health routine. The effort came around the same time she was baptized, relatives told KTVK.
Early Thursday, Candelaria posted what would become her final video. In the clip, she told her Instagram followers that she was taking running “seriously” before flashing a peace sign and giving a thumbs-up.
According to the outlet, she ran while filming one train as it passed and sounded its horn. She was then struck by a second train traveling in the opposite direction.
That train also sounded its horn before impact, but Candelaria appeared unaware of the approaching danger while wearing pink noise-canceling headphones, her daughter Alaisha Candelaria said.
“She was in her own world,” Alaisha, 29, told KTVK. She said her mother had been singing along to music by Jessie Reyez, her favorite artist, and laughing. Alaisha remembered Candelaria as an “angel.”
The train’s emergency braking system was activated, but it was unable to stop before striking her.
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Candelaria was reported missing after she did not return home. She was later found dead at the scene.
Friends said Candelaria had recently deepened her Christian faith, and her death came only days after her baptism.
“Thelma gave her life to Jesus Christ and was baptized,” grieving friend Amber Sherban wrote 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 in 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.”
Authorities continue to investigate the crash. Candelaria’s official cause of death has not yet been released.
