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An elderly woman was on a motorized scooter when she was fatally struck by a train in near Pittsburgh Friday, the day before her grandson's wedding, WPXI has learned.
Anna Shkraba, 79, was trying to cross the tracks along Locust Street when she was hit by the train shortly after 11 a.m., according to investigators.
Family members told Brennan that they are in shock over Shkraba’s death and are trying to comfort her husband of many years.
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"I really hope they can get through this together. They're a really strong family, so they're going to be there for each other," said Desiree Brown, who knew Shkraba.
Brown works at a pet store located a few doors down from the family's pierogi shop.
"She was in there every day, and we would go in on occasion and order subs or hoagies or whatever and you'd see her sitting there," Brown told Brennan.
Shkraba, who was dragged by the train for several blocks, lived in a high-rise not far from the scene of the accident, WPXI reported.
Friends described her as a wonderful woman who was dedicated to her family.
"She was just a heck of a nice lady," said Myrna Obusek, a neighbor who knew Shkraba and her husband. "I just think it's a tragedy because you live that long and then, you know, maybe it's God's will."
WPXI reported that Shkraba was hit by a CSX freight train coming from Baltimore with 101 rail cars, two of which were carrying sand. The rest were empty.
"I always think these trains go through here too fast, even at night," said Obusek. "This is a little town, and when the trains go through here they do have to go slower."
It is unclear how fast the train that struck Shkraba was traveling.
Train traffic in the area was stopped for three hours as investigators gathered information.
